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…
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…
On August 26, 2020 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had entered into a consent order with a California-based mortgage lender, resolving allegations that the company violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) and Truth in Lending Act (TILA) by engaging in deceptive acts and practices with…
On August 21, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had a reached a settlement with a California-based lender, resolving allegations that the lender had sent deceptive loan advertisements to servicemembers and veterans in violation of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA), the Mortgage Acts and Practices…
On July 24, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it entered consent orders (here and here) against two California-based mortgage lenders, resolving allegations that the lenders violated the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), 15 U.S.C. §§ 1601–1667f, and its implementing regulation, Regulation Z, 12 C.F.R. § 1026.24;…
On June 23, 2020, the New York Office of Attorney General (New York AG) announced that it reached a $17 million settlement with a mortgage originator and servicer. The New York AG alleged that the company violated New York’s mortgage servicing regulations, 3 N.Y.C.R.R. Part 419, by failing to make reasonable and…
On June 23, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it reached a settlement with three companies that issued contracts for deeds with consumers. According to the CFPB, between 2010 and 2016, these companies allegedly had a business plan of acquiring foreclosed properties in bulk and reselling them to consumers through seller financing…
The sudden financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers has led to calls for loan servicers and other interested parties to provide temporary or permanent relief for borrowers who are unable to continue making loan payments. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), guidance in the…