United Mortgage Trust (UDMG) 10-K 2008 FY Annual report

EXHIBIT 31 CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT

Certification for Annual Report on Form 10-K Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act

I, Christine A. Griffin, certify that:

1.   I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of United Mortgage Trust;

2.   Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.   Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4.   I am responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f))) for the registrant and have:

(a)   Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under the Company’s supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to the Company by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

(b)   Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal controls and procedures to be designed under the Company’s supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the liability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

(c)   Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report the Company’s conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such  evaluation; and

(d)   Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and

5.   I have disclosed, based on the Company’s most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors:

(a)   All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

(b)   Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

March 31, 2009                                                                                                     /s/ Christine “Cricket” Griffin

Christine “Cricket” Griffin

President, Chief Executive Officer and

Chief Financial Officer