Oregon Public Broadcasting

Federal authorities are cracking down on some wobbly sectors of Oregon's real estate market. April Baer reports.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Oregon has collared four men on mortgage fraud charges.  One has already been sentenced.

Assistant U.S. attorney Lance Caldwell says these defendants are collectively accused of more than bad 200 deals and he suspects there are more to be found.

Lance Caldwell: "I think I can confidently say there will be more cases of this kind. I think the investigations identified here may only be scratching the surface."

Meanwhile, some indicators suggest Oregon's mortgage problems are deepening.

Clackamas County's Clerk reviewed foreclosure-related notices, from one spring to another, for the last two years. For that period, foreclosure rates rose more than fifty percent.

Earlier this week, the Statesman Journal newspaper noted foreclosure rates have also risen  in Marion and Polk Counties.