"The mere fact that a number of complaints have been filed against a person doesn't mean that all of the complaints reach the level of where there needs to be disciplinary action taken," he said.

The board suspended Britt's license for a year. The formal order said it was for failing to return the couple's phone calls, but board attorney Roberta Ouellette told the AP the discipline was also imposed for writing an inflated appraisal. Britt later faced additional complaints once back in business, both of which were dropped after he died in 2003.

Marie Petrone was able to sell her home — just weeks before the bank was set to foreclose. By then, Carl Petrone was dead. She lost money on the deal and returned to New York, where she lives with her two children and works two jobs to help make ends meet.

"This was something that never should have happened," Marie Petrone said. "We were taken advantage of, and there was no one there to protect us."