AG Swanson asks lenders to halt foreclosures in MN

Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson has asked more than a dozen national mortgage lenders and servicers to halt foreclosures in the state until her office can verify they were processed fairly.

Swanson's investigation follows a federal probe into whether some of the nation's top mortgage lenders improperly evicted struggling borrowers from their homes.

Swanson said she has requested data from lenders on how many Minnesota homeowners they've foreclosed. Her office also asked for documentation on the loans and how their foreclosures were processed.

"We are saying step up to the plate and until you can show us that things are fair and accurate and you're not having the same type of problems here then don't be foreclosing on people's homes," she said.

Foreclosures in 23 other states have been halted over allegations that loan servicers improperly processed foreclosures without adequate documentation.