Indeed.
This was my desk at Argent Mortgage. I was a Sr. Programmer Analyst on the EMPOWER loan origination software for Argent Mortgage, Ameriquest's Wholesale division. During my tenure, we managed to close a number of loopholes that were being exploited. And we at Argent heard many horror stories about the level systemic corruption at Ameriquest.
One of the more interesting loopholes, at Argent, was one, the creation of which was apparently requested by someone in Sr. Argent Management: enabling the ability in EMPOWER to modify and even completely fabricate FICO scores.
See, normaly the FICO score is recieved from various credit agencies and the fields are locked in EMPOWER, normally... unless the company using the software bought the source code and used it to change EMPOWER - which Argent did.
All loophole closing activity abrubptly ended when Argent was merged back into Ameriquest - in preparation for Ameriquest (yes Ameriquest, functionaly, not Argent) being acquired by Citi-Group.
Nearly two years ago, I provided SEC investigators with a SQL Query that would have identified every loan for which the FICO score had been falsified at Argent - and there were THOUSANDS of them.
From there, they could have ascertained the account exec for the loan....
All they had to do was execute a warrant and run the query; but to my knowledge, they never did. Presumably because Argent received "immunity" in the Ameriquest predatory lending settlement with the State's Attorney's generals.
But at least LEO finally nailed somebody; and the song Mr. Warren sings may prove quite interesting. Assuming he doesn't first come down with a case of the same lethal "Indigestion" as Ameriquest owner, and political financier, Ambassador Roland Arnall.