[ by Melanie Gretchen ] Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, and Citigroup are among several banks and insurance companies that are being probed by Benjamin Lawsky, the superintendent of New York State's Department of Financial Services.  The financial institutions face possible charges of overcharging customers on so-called force-place insurance, an increasingly common practice, where the loan servicer steps in to buy an insurance policy after a homeowner fails to keep up on their insurance premium payments. Benjamin Lawsky is No Newcomer to Big Probes. Lawsky was formerly an official in the New York State Attorney General's Office under Andrew Cuomo, now governor of the state.  In the State Attorney General's Office, Lawsky was involved in other bank probes, including the high-profile investigation of the U.S. student loan industry. Conflict of Interest Concerns. One issue that NY investigators are seeking to determine is whether policies adopted by the investigated banks had been issued by affiliated insurance companies, according to a source who declined to be named.  Bank of America may have purchased a policy issued by Balboa Insurance, which the bank owned until last year.  In recent years, JPMorgan held a small financial stake in Assurant, an insurance company, on behalf of the bank's clients, the source said. Neither the banks nor NY state investigators have issued a comment. [Reuters, 1/11/12]