On March 26, 2015, the Massachusetts Attorney General announced that it obtained a judgment of nearly $1.9 million against a Massachusetts-based financial and legal services company on the ground that the company engaged in unfair and deceptive acts and practices. According to the lawsuit, the company had tageted consumers facing…
On March 12, 2015, the Massachusetts Division of Banks entered into a consent order with a mortgage lender following a state investigation that determined that the mortgage lender was in substantial non-compliance with applicable state and federal statutes, rules, and regulations regarding its mortgage lending and determination and documentation of…
On March 12, 2015, the Justice Department announced a settlement with a regional bank over allegations that the bank violated FIRREA by permitting an intermediary third-party payment processor to process fraudulent payments through the bank. The payment processor opened an account at the bank for the purpose of processing electronic…
On March 10, 2015, the Justice Department announced a settlement with a regional bank over allegations that the bank permitted a third-party payment processor to process fraudulent payments through the bank. As part of the settlement, the DOJ filed a criminal information alleging a felony violation of the Bank Secrecy…
On March 9, 2015, the New York Attorney General announced a settlement with three national credit reporting agencies. The companies allegedly failed to maintain proper procedures for ensuring the accuracy of consumer credit information in violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act. According to one study, allegedly 26% of consumers…
On March 9, 2015, the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) announced that it entered a consent order with a “lead generation” payday lender where the lender agreed to pay a $2.1 million penalty, provide new warnings to consumers, and cease operations in the state. Payday lending is illegal in New York. “Lead…
The Arizona Attorney General announced that it filed suit against a foreclosure consulting company, alleging that the company violated the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act. The complaint claims that the company and its owners made material misrepresentations to its consumers, failed to disclose material information, failed to provide services for which…
The Missouri Attorney General Office announced that it reached an agreement with eight online payday loan operations that will force them to shut down operations in the state. The lenders operated from a Native American reservation in South Dakota, and sold short-term loans with high, illegal fees in violation of…
On March 3, 2015, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a settlement with a national bank over allegations that the bank signed payment change notices in bankruptcy court without reviewing the accuracy of the documents and submitted inaccurate escrow statements. The U.S. Trustee initiated the investigation after the bank allegedly…
On February 27, 2015, the Massachusetts Division of Banks and the mortgage lender agreed to a consent order following an examination into a mortgage lender’s level of compliance with applicable Massachusetts and federal statutes. The Massachusetts Division of Banks’ examination found that the bank was in substantial non-compliance with state…
On February 25, 2015, a state bank entered into a consent order with the FDIC, relating to allegations that the bank had violated section 102(f)(4) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, 42 U.S.C. § 4012a(f)(4), and the FDIC Rules and Regulations promulgated thereunder, by failing to notify borrowers…
On February 25, 2015, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a settlement with a national bank over allegations that the bank originated and underwrote mortgage loans that did not meet applicable Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (“HUD”) requirements under the Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) insurance program. The settlement covers…
On February 25, 2015, a national lender and securitizer of automobile loans disclosed in a SEC Filing that the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) issued a subpoena to the lender in January 2015 regarding its origination and securitization of subprime auto loans. The lender disclosed that the DOJ may initiate civil…
On February 25, 2015, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced a settlement with a national motor vehicle lender over allegations that the company repossessed over 1,1000 cars in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, 50 U.S.C. Sections 501-597b. A consent order was filed in the U.S. District Court for…
On February 24, 2015, a national bank disclosed in an SEC filing that the Department of Justice (“DOJ”), Department of the Treasury, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, and New York district attorney’s office issued subpoenas to the bank in early 2015 related to the bank’s subprime…
On February 12, 2015, the CFPB announced that it had entered a consent order with a California-based mortgage lender and broker to resolve allegations that the lender allegedly sent deceptive mailings signifying an FHA and VA affiliation in violation of Regulation N and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The lender…
On February 12, 2015, the CFPB announced that it had entered into a consent order with a Utah-based mortgage broker and lender to resolve allegations that the lender sent deceptive mailings to VA homeowners in violation of Regulation N and the Consumer Financial Protection Act. The lender allegedly sent mailings…
On February 12, 2015, the CFPB announced that it had filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland alleging that a Maryland-based reverse mortgage lender and broker disseminated deceptive and misleading advertisements for mortgage credit products, thereby violating the Mortgage Acts and Practice Rule, 12…
The DOJ announced a settlement of the first “buy here, pay here” discriminatory auto-lending lawsuit. The complaint, filed in January, 2014 by the DOJ, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina and the North Carolina Attorney General in the U.S. District Court for the Western District…
On February 10, 2015, the CFPB announced that it had entered a consent order with a Maryland-based nonbank mortgage lender to resolve allegations that the lender had engaged in deceptive advertising and an illegal kickback scheme. The CFPB alleged that the lender advertised VA mortgage products to veterans, claiming that…