Mortgage fraud increased by 14% in 2010, with first-party fraudsters responsible for 97% of cases.
A man who committed mortgage fraud while living on benefits has been jailed and ordered to repay £67,131 by Luton Crown Court.
Fourteen people, including a solicitor, surveyors, valuers and mortgage advisers, have appeared in court in Wales charged in connection with an alleged £20m conspiracy to defraud.
A solicitor, who has been accused of committing more than £650,000 worth of mortgage fraud, has been warned by a judge that he faces a prison sentence.
The number of fraudulent mortgage cases rose 18% in 2010 to 3,542 compared to 3,004 in 2009, driven by a leap in application fraud.
The former president of a New Jersey-based mortgage company has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for his part in an £84m fraud scheme.
A Bradford financial adviser has pleaded guilty to taking part in a "calculated and sophisticated" £1.8m mortgage fraud.
A debt-stricken Coventry estate agent has been jailed for 12 months after stealing more than £69,000 from his clients.
Former The Apprentice contestant and mortgage broker Christopher Farrell today received a nine-month suspended prison sentence for doctoring applications to hit sales targets.
Fraud is costing the financial services industry £3.6bn per year, according to the National Fraud Authority (NFA).