Commercial Real Estate Financing Fraud: Suspicious Activity Reports by Depository Institutions January 1, 2007-December 31,2010

The number of depository institution Suspicious Activity Report (SAR) filings reporting commercial real estate financing fraud (hereinafter "CRE fraud") almost tripled between 2007 and 2010, reflecting the challenges facing the commercial real estate (hereinafter "CRE") sector and the ever-present opportunity for fraud. In contrast to mortgage loan fraud SARs predominantly submitted by large financial institutions, filings reporting potential CRE fraud came from institutions of varying sizes and locations, indicating that CRE fraud may affect a broad range of reporting institutions.