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Washington, DC, United States (AHN) – U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Inspector General H. David Kotz initiated over the weekend a probe into the regulator because of potential conflicts of interest in the latter’s investigation of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme.

Kotz cited the recent lawsuit brought by Madoff trustee Irving Picard against SEC general counsel David Becker, whose deceased mother left Becker and his brothers a $2 million inheritance in a Madoff account several years before the discovery of the hedge fund’s scheme. When Becker liquidated the money, he was not connected with SEC, but rejoined the agency in 2009 and resigned again last week.

Kotz’s investigation comes a day after Rep. Darrell Issa, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, and Sen. Charles Grassley, member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that SEC Chair Mary Schapiro allowed Becker to represent the agency on Madoff issues without a full proper examination of his financial interests in the case.

The house committee’s lawyer said legislators are determining if a criminal laws were violated by Becker because of a prohibition for federal officers from participating in proceedings where they have a financial interest.

The legislators also demanded that Schapiro explain why an SEC ethics official advised Becker that the general counsel did not have to recuse himself from matters involving Madoff.

Before he resigned from the SEC, Becker wrote to the House Republicans that he informed Schapiro of his inheritance and handled the Madoff case on advise of the ethics counsel. Becker helped craft the SEC’s position on how much money investors should be entitled to recover in the Madoff scheme under the clawback lawsuits filed by Picard.

Many investors want the full, bogus amount based on their last account statements, but the SEC sided with Picard that investors’ claim should be limited to what they put in, less what they withdrew. But the SEC favored an inflation adjustment on money deposited with Madoff, which the trustee disagreed with.

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The inspector general of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a letter to Sen. Charles Grassley questioning the low amount of a Department of Justice settlement with Beazer Homes. The settlement was tied to alleged fraud at the company’s defunct mortgage unit on federally insured mortgages. The inspector general claims that, given the losses, the amount of the settlement was not enough.

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Buying your home is a very important purchase, perhaps the most important one you will make. So why take a gamble on your home not being in good condition? Home inspections can save you from spending tons of money down the road. For example if you get into your home without having an inspection done, what if the home is in need of a new roof? Or maybe there might even be a problem with the foundation, or even the structure. By getting your home inspected, it would make you aware of these problems before it’s too late. Here are a few examples on what a home inspection covers;

?Finds any items that need to be replaced or fixed

?Inspects all the major systems, which include; air conditioning, heater, pluming, and gas ext.

?Inspects the structure and mechanical systems as well
Here are some of the areas broken down into detail that the inspector will look at for you; interior, exterior, electric, structure, plumbing, heating, air conditioner. Let’s go through some of these one by one and find out why it is very important that they are looked at;

Exterior: Walking around the exterior of the home, the inspector will be looking for any structural faults of the home, as well as looking for any unusual deflections. When we say structural we are mainly talking about the roof, and foundation. These are considered some of the most important parts. Checking out the roof, the things that the inspector will be look at the roof flashing and shingles, chimneys, sky lights etc. making sure there are no water intrusions. Back down on the outside of the home the inspector will check out all the doors, foundation walls, windows, porches, decks, driveways and sidewalks ext ,making sure that everything is in good shape to keep you from any future surprises.

Interior: Now moving onto the inside of the home, the inspector will look at ceilings, walls, floors, doors, and windows to insure again that everything is in good shape. The inspection will also make sure there is no interior water damage. Next the inspector will move onto the attic. Making sure that once again, there is no structural damage. As well as making sure the ventilation and insulation are okay. When looking at ventilation and insulation, it is very important because these things can keep you from having to pay extremely high utility bills, not to mention it will keep you and your loved ones warm. They will also check out the basement to make sure that there is no structural or water damage there as well.

After the inspection is complete the inspector will write up a report with everything that was found and reviewed during the inspection.

Now that we have briefed you on some of the pieces of your home inspection, it is important that you keep all of this in mind when buying a home. Don’t just go off of any ones good word; go off of an inspector’s word. Make sure that you talk to your realtor about this so they can give you a better idea about the process and answer any questions you may have. It’s also important that you don’t just go with any inspector but that you make sure you do your homework on that as well.

Jamie Mades Jamie Mades is a Realtor in Colorado Springs specializing in residential real estate and relocation services. He is also founder and owner of Colorado Springs Team Real Estate, Inc. http://coloradospringsteam.com located at 1283 Kelly Johnson Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80920. You can learn more about Colorado Springs Relocation services at http://coloradospringsteam.com/relocation/military.phpArticle Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/why-it-is-important-to-get-your-home-inspected-1620006.html