The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced a $5.5 million monetary and injunctive settlement with auto lender Consumer Portfolio Services, Inc. (CPS) concerning allegations that the company used illegal tactics in servicing and collecting consumers’ auto loans, and failed to adopt proper quality controls, in violation of Section 5 of…
Lenders scored a victory in the Ninth Circuit on June 12, 2014, with the court largely affirming dismissal of claims by plaintiffs in multidistrict litigation challenging the lending industry’s use of Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS). The appeal stemmed from dozens of putative class actions and individual borrower cases…
Move to federal court or stay in state court—an essential strategic question for defendants of state-court-filed class actions. Pace of litigation, applicable discovery rules, court familiarity with class actions—the right forum can make a significant difference in litigating a class action. Although the first choice of forum belongs to the…
The future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac remains unclear, but paying local transfer taxes does not appear to be on the horizon. The Government Sponsored Entities continue to rack up victories in lawsuits brought against them by local governments seeking to recover unpaid transfer taxes when real property is…
“Fair lending requirements apply throughout the life of the loan!” That was the message delivered by federal regulators in October 2013, reminding loan servicers that they are subject to fair lending liability and must manage their fair lending risks. In its May/June 2014 issue, the American Bankers Association’s Bank Compliance…
On June 11, as a result of the growing use of mobile banking services across the country, the CFPB announced that it was conducting a request for information into the benefits and consequences of expanding mobile financial services. Its focus is underserved and remote communities, but any actions the CFPB…
In SEC v. Citigroup Global Markets Inc.,___ F.3d __, no. 11-5227-cv (June 4, 2014) (“Citigroup II”), a three-judge panel of the Second Circuit affirmed the SEC’s ability to negotiate settlements without obtaining specific factual admissions from the settling defendants. The Court reasoned that there is a distinction between trials and…
On May 22, the CFPB released its fourth “Supervisory Highlights” publication, giving financial services providers a preview of the CFPB’s future enforcement priorities. This edition drew attention to regulatory compliance in nonbank financial entities like debt collectors, payday lenders, and consumer credit reporting firms. While those industries have been subject…
On January 22, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that in its first action, the newly created Student Protection Unit issued thirteen subpoenas to student debt relief companies as part of an investigation into allegations of improper fees and misleading advertising. The Student Protection Unit is a division within the…
On January 22, 2014, a federal judge in California denied J.C. Penney Corporation’s motion to dismiss for lack of subject matter jurisdiction following the plaintiff’s rejection of an offer of judgment. Maier v. J.C. Penney Corp., Inc., No. 3:13-cv-00163, slip op. (S.D. Cal. Jan. 22, 2014). The plaintiff has filed a…
On January 10, 2014, new CFPB amendments to Regulation X (implementing the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act) and Regulation Z (implementing the Truth in Lending Act) became effective, imposing new requirements on loan servicers to respond to inquiries from residential mortgage loan borrowers within statutorily-specified time periods. An understanding of…
The future of the Government Sponsored Enterprises might be uncertain, but one aspect of their existence is becoming more clear: courts have repeatedly ruled that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are exempt from real property transfer taxes. And those decisions likely benefit servicers too. The cases deal with the exemptions…
On January 28, 2014, a federal judge indicated that home loan borrowers in California may bring breach of contract claims against their loan servicer if the servicer offers a permanent loan modification agreement that differs from what was advertised in communications before the borrowers entered into the prerequisite Trial Period…