On June 28, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) finalized amendments to the implementing regulation of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), Regulation X, which would establish temporary protections for mortgage borrowers as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and various Federal and State…
On June 17, 2021, President Joe Biden signed into law Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. The enactment of the new Federal holiday was an historic and welcome national event. Yet, the legislation making June 19 a Federal holiday—observed this year by the Federal government on Friday, June 18—was passed swiftly…
On May 3, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent notification letters reminding the nation’s largest apartment landlords of federal protections in place to keep tenants in their homes and stop the spread of COVID-19. The Notification Letter points to the Centers for Disease…
On April 27, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a reverse mortgage broker and lender, resolving allegations that the company violated the Mortgages Acts and Practices Advertising Rule (MAP Rule), Regulation Z, and the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA)…
This month the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) doubled-down on its earlier warning that the end of 2021 could see widespread foreclosures as COVID-19-related protections expire, by issuing guidance to mortgage servicers, and a notice of proposed rulemaking, regarding actions mortgage servicers can take to deal with the onslaught. On…
On March 19, 2021, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it approved a settlement with a national mortgage lender concerning allegations that the mortgage lender discriminated against a consumer in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) when it denied the consumer’s mortgage loan application. The consumer filed a complaint with HUD…
On March 8, 2021, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it had approved a conciliation agreement between a national mortgage lender and an African-American woman (the Complainant), resolving allegations that the mortgage lender provided an inaccurate appraisal of the Complainant’s home due to her race in violation of the Fair…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a statement on February 23, 2021 addressing compliance deadlines associated with qualified mortgage regulations completed under former Director Kathleen Kraninger. In its statement, the CFPB said that it may amend or revoke the Seasoned Qualified Mortgage (QM) Final Rule and expects to issue…
On July 26, 2018, the Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania announced a lawsuit against five Pennsylvania mortgage foreclosure companies and two company owners for cheating consumers into signing contracts to have their mortgage loans modified—but never delivering the services paid for—in violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer…
On February 10, 2021, the New York Department of Financial Service (DFS) entered into a settlement with a New York-based mortgage company to resolve allegations that the company utilized an unauthorized domain name and website, and failed to provide mortgage loan applicants with pre-application disclosures in violation of Article 12-D of the New York Banking Law…
Enforcement Watch and Goodwin’s Consumer Financial Services Enforcement Team are excited to announce the arrival of Alli Schoenthal to our team! Alli will reside in our New York office. Alli represents banks, trusts, lenders, government-sponsored enterprises, private equity firms, and loan servicers in consumer finance litigation and enforcement matters. Her practice…
On December 18, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a mortgage servicing company (and its successor in interest) resolving allegations that the company’s conduct between 2014 and 2018 violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and Regulation X, the implementing regulations of the…
On October 1, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its rule assessment for a final Rule relating to mortgage disclosures. Known as the TRID Rule, the Bureau’s final Rule implemented requirements under the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) to integrate various mortgage loan disclosures under the Truth in…
On October 26, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it had a reached a settlement with a Utah-based mortgage lender and broker, resolving allegations that the lender had engaged in deceptive acts and practices in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act, 12 U.S.C. §§ 5531, 5536 (CFPA),…
On October 15, 2020, the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau (CFPB) announced that it has reached a proposed settlement with the nation’s largest debt collector. The CFPB previously reached a consent order with this company in 2015 for alleged violations of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA),…
On September 25, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against a national mortgage loan originator. The complaint alleges that the company violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by originating Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) loans…
On September 14, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a settlement in its eighth case arising out of the CFPB’s “sweep of investigations” of mortgage companies allegedly mailing deceptive advertisements for VA-guaranteed mortgages to servicemembers and veterans. According to the CFPB, the “ongoing sweep of investigations reflects the…
On September 2, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced it had entered into a consent order with a Delaware-based VA-mortgage lender, resolving allegations that the company had engaged in deceptive practices against servicemembers and veterans. The CFPB found that since April 2018 the Company had mailed current and former servicemembers misleading advertisements…
On September 1, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced that it had issued a consent order against a Maryland-based corporation offering VA-guaranteed loans in twelve states. According to the consent order, the CFPB found the company had sent consumers millions of advertisements containing deceptive or misleading statements and inadequate disclosures, in violation of…
On September 14, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a mortgage broker and lender that advertises and offers mortgage loans guaranteed by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through direct-mail advertisements sent primarily to United States military…