Financial Institutions agency seeks self-funding
The demands placed on the Arizona Department of Financial Institutions grew rapidly with the state's booming housing market, and haven't abated much with the subsequent bust. What's more, the state's crippling budget crisis has stripped the department of some of its resources at a time when it needs them most.
Fraudulent flipping: State agency gets extended power to battle mortgage scams
The housing bubble in Arizona became a cash cow for the unscrupulous. Up until the bubble burst in late 2008, crooked investors and people involved in writing up loan documents bilked banks and homeowners out of millions.