Getting a mortgage these days can be tricky, and it’s easy to get taken at the closing table. But Clark saw a story about predatory lenders recently that infuriated him. It was the lead story in Business Week and it focused on Habitat for Humanity owners who got ripped off by dirty banks. According to Business Week, these banks are tracking down Habitat homeowners and sending salespeople out to their homes to sell them a new mortgage. The salespeople tell the homeowners that their homes have gone up in value and offer them $10,000 to $15,000 in cash in exchange for a new loan with the bank. Habitat homeowners have loans through Habitat at zero percent, so this is a huge mistake. The banks are putting them in loans of 16 to 20 percent, which these homeowners cannot afford. So, the families end up having to foreclose and losing their homes. It’s a disgrace and Clark wants to know why the Mortgage Bankers Association of America doesn’t get involved. This is theft! When doing a loan, look for lenders that don’t charge any closing costs at all or offer “guaranteed” closing costs. The mortgage business is still the wild west, so be careful.