(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray today announced that debt collection complaints in Ohio are on the rise. The announcement comes in conjunction with the release of a National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) study naming debt collection as the top consumer complaint in 2008.

"In Ohio, we have received 2,067 complaints about debt collection in 2009 year-to-date, which is on pace to be almost double the number of complaints we received just three years ago," Cordray said. "It's a clear reflection of today's economic stress. Ohioans' tolerance of illegal debt collection tactics along with credit and home loan scams has reached its limit."

(CLEVELAND, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Bill Mason today announced details of an 18-month investigation that led to indictments against 41 people and four companies. The defendants are alleged to have engaged in real estate transactions to purchase 453 homes with fraudulent loans totaling $44 million. The indictments are the result of work done by the Cuyahoga County Mortgage Fraud Task Force operating under the authority of the Ohio Organized Crime Investigations Commission.

"Mortgage fraud has cost this country billions of dollars and has caused much of the nation's current economic hardship," said Attorney General Cordray. "This case clearly demonstrates the value of teamwork and sends the message that if you are engaged in mortgage fraud, we will come after you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law."

(AKRON, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray filed a lawsuit today charging Akron Asphalt, a driveway paving company, with failing to deliver promised services and performing shoddy work. The complaint, filed in the Summit County Court of Common Pleas, charges the company with several violations of Ohio consumer law.

"We received several complaints from consumers who said this company took their money without delivering promised results," Attorney General Cordray said. "After investigating the company's business practices, we discovered that it routinely failed to deliver and did unprofessional work."

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray this week joined 23 attorneys general in a letter to Congress urging the creation of a Federal Consumer Protection Agency.

The letter, sent to leaders of the Senate Banking Committee and the House Financial Services Committee, voices a critical need for oversight demonstrated by the current financial crisis, joint enforcement authority of new federal rules and preservation of state laws.

"The current regulatory structure has repeatedly failed to address unfair, unsound, and deceptive financial products," said Cordray. "Historically, consumers have been placed last as federal rules and regulations have been created. The patchwork of state and federal regulation and inconsistent policies, with federal preemption of state enforcement authority, has  severely hampered our ability to protect consumers and draw clear lines for financial institutions to follow with their customers. This letter urges Congress, as a matter of national economic importance, to support the creation of a strong, independent Consumer Financial Protection Agency."

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray and Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Director Alvin D. Jackson, M.D., today announced the first lawsuits filed against Ohio establishments for violations of the Smoke-free Workplace Act. Complaints were filed in Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas against O'Neal's Tavern in Cincinnati and in Franklin County Court of Common Pleas against Zeno's in Columbus.

The complaints seek a court order requiring the bars to comply with the state smoking ban.  The suits were brought against these establishments because of their repeated and extensive violations over the last two years. According to court documents, O'Neal's Tavern has been cited for 12 violations accruing fines of more than $21,000, and Zeno's has been cited for nine violations and fines of more than $28,000.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray has announced an agreement in principle to settle claims against former American International Group (AIG) CEO Maurice R. "Hank" Greenberg and other AIG executives (Howard I. Smith, Christian M. Milton and Michael J. Castelli) and related corporate entities (C.V. Starr & Co., Inc. and Starr International Co., Inc.) for $115 million.

"AIG cannot be permitted to defraud investors and other companies who play by the rules. This agreement in principle will help compensate investors – including Ohio pension funds – who were harmed by AIG's misconduct," Cordray said.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Statement from Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray:

“Today's report from the U.S. Treasury further demonstrates that most mortgage loan servicers are not doing enough to live up to their commitments to help keep people in their homes. What is it going to take to get these companies to change their behavior and take responsibility?