Use of portions of bank foreclosure settlement questioned

In February, the state got $30.2 million as part of a multi-billion-dollar national settlement with five major banks accused of defrauding homeowners by signing off on foreclosure documents without verifying the information they contained. Republican Gov. Scott Walker decided to use the bulk of the money — $24.3 million — to pump up the state’s general fund. The rest, Walker assured, would be used to mitigate the damage caused by the foreclosure crisis, including helping blighted areas of Milwaukee and bolstering training for prosecutors to go after mortgage and foreclosure fraud. Full Story: Wisconsin State Journal