Make sure your mortgage documents are signed by qualified mortgage industry employees who've verified your documents and aren't forging someone's signature.

Nearly a year after federal regulators imposed a moratorium on foreclosures to stop "robo-signing" and other questionable foreclosure procedures, robo-signing behavior continues to flourish.

A recent Associated Press report says mortgage industry employees in at least three states are still signing unread mortgage documents and faking signatures to move mortgage documents to speed mortgages through the pipeline.

AP's findings point to a deeply rooted problem with mortgage procedures and they reveal mortgage processors haven't followed federal orders to clean up their act to end document fraud in the mortgage industry.

AP said tainted mortgage documents in the past were largely related to foreclosures, but found more recent suspect paperwork has been filed for refinancing or new purchases.

Robo-signing involves people swearing to the accuracy of documents without verifying the information. It can involve notary fraud; employees signing without reading the documents; forging executive signatures or signing off on documents with a fake executive title.

AP found robo-signing problems in Michigan and North Carolina; but no individuals, lenders or paperwork processors have been charged with a crime over robo-signing.

Robo-signing or otherwise forging someone's name on a legal document is a federal crime punishable by prison. It's also illegal for someone to sign their name to an affidavit if you have not verified the sworn-to information.