The Massachusetts Attorney General asked a court yesterday to block Fremont Investment & Loan from foreclosing on 500 mortgages in the state.

Attorney General Martha Coakley asked the Suffolk County Superior Court to review each mortgage that is subject to foreclosure by the Santa Monica-based subsidiary of Fremont General Corp. The state also wants to stop any proceedings for loans that may have been issued fraudulently, according to a Boston Globe report.

Fremont challenged the state’s request in court, denying loan fraud. The Globe also said that Fremont had about 2,500 mortgages in the state. Fremont has since halted its lending operations and now only operates its functions as a regional bank.

Shares in Fremont gained 5.9 percent to $3.60 in afternoon trading Wednesday on the New York Stock Exchange.