We are hearing about firms deliberately hiring illegal aliens, throughout the Industry, and then turning their illegal status against them when they ask for their pay. Simply look at the Jonnie Rumbaugh — Eviction Enterprises — case if you think there is no refusal to pay ongoing in our Industry. And it is far more wide spread than thought. Whereas NAMFS member fraud was at historic lows, it has begun to rear its ugly head, once again, as seen in the Eviction Enterprises case. This is due, in part, to massively low volumes. ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property data, and real estate analytics, today released its Q3 2024 U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, which shows a total of 87,108 U.S. properties with a foreclosure filings during the third quarter of 2024, down 2 percent from the previous quarter and down 13 percent from a year ago. Moreover, though, it is the layout of the foreclosures that is increasing the fraud. Take Montana, for example, only having 42 foreclosures or South Dakota with 35. The requirement to cover these massive geographic areas with only a handful of assets is not supporting the wages for the bloated staff and aging facilities they occupy. Lenders repossessed 8,795 U.S. properties through foreclosure (REO) in Q3 2024, up 1 percent from the previous quarter but down 12 percent from a year ago.
As we reported earlier, immigrants make one in four construction workers. The share is significantly higher (31%) among construction tradesmen. In some states, reliance on foreign-born labor is particularly evident, with immigrants comprising 40% of the construction workforce in California and Texas. Supported by a substantial increase in immigration to the United States since 2022, labor shortages in construction have eased but remain elevated. The two most prevalent construction occupations, laborers and carpenters, account for over a quarter of the construction labor force. A third of all carpenters and 41% of construction laborers are of foreign-born origin.
When looking at our Industry, NONE OF IT requires any type of licensing. It is 100% labor based. Ergo, the stats above are critical to understand. Other than the IAFST University, there is no certified training. And no firm requires that you to be a US citizen or authorized to work in the United States. Virtually all other occupations in the US require I-9 validation through e-Verify, a US government web-based employment eligibility verification system.
