Albany, N.Y. - New York's attorney general is accusing some of the nation's largest banks of deceit and fraud in using an electronic mortgage registry that he says puts homeowners at a disadvantage in foreclosures.
Eric Schneiderman is suing Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo over their use of the electronic system known as MERS. The Democrat claims the banks submitted court documents containing false and misleading information that appeared to provide the authority for foreclosures when there was none.
The lawsuit also names the registry operator, MERSCORP Inc. of Virginia.
Schneiderman claims the MERS system has eliminated homeowners' ability to track property transfers through traditional public records. He says the electronic system now stores that data and is plagued by inaccuracies.
There was no immediate comment from the banks.
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