Prospect Mortgage reached a settlement today with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) over Prospect’s use of the Series Limited Liability Company “aka Series LLC” joint venture business model. The terms of the settlement are not yet available but we will update the Respa Lawyer Blog as…
RESPA Lawyer Blog
RESPA: HUD ANNOUNCES SETTLEMENT WITH FIDELITY NATIONAL TITLE OVER USE OF TRANSACTIONPOINT KICKBACKS AND ILLEGAL REFERRAL FEES
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development “HUD” announced a settlement with Fidelity National Financial (NYSE: FNF) in the amount of $4.5 million dollars for HUD’s contention that Fidelity violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act “RESPA” when it paid real estate brokers and other settlement service providers…
BREAKING RESPA NEWS: UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT GRANTS WRIT OF CERTIORARI IN EDWARDS VS. FIRST AMERICAN’S RESPA CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT
The United States Supreme Court granted First American Financial Corporation’s Writ of Certiorari it filed in the Denise P. Edwards et al. v. First American Financial Corporation, et al. RESPA class action lawsuit today (June 20, 2011). The Supreme Court will now decide whether a plaintiff has standing to sue,…
RESPA: NEW RESPA ROUNDUP QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS RELEASED BY HUD
The US Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) Division released its latest RESPA ROUNDUP newsletter (Volume 5, April 2011). The newsletter asks and answers one question each on HUD-1 Line 803 tolerance violations, credit report charges, what happens if a loan originator fails…
FDIC RELEASES QUALIFIED RESIDENTIAL MORTGAGE “QRM” PROPOSAL TODAY
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, US Securities & Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve System, Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Department of Housing and Urban Development unveiled their new risk retention proposal today. The QRM proposal would mandate that banks maintain at least five (5%) percent of the risk of mortgage securities…
STERBCOW LAW GROUP FILES LAWSUIT ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MORTGAGE BROKERS “NAMB” AGAINST THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM ON LOAN OFFICER COMPENSATION RULE
On March 9, 2011, Saul Ewing, LLP; Herman, Herman, Katz & Cotlar, and Sterbcow Law Group LLC, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the National Association of Mortgage Brokers (NAMB) against the Board of Governors Of The Federal Reserve System; Honorable Ben S. Bernanke, Chairman of the Board of Governors…
FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD: WALL STREET REFORM ACT’S LOAN OFFICER COMPENSATION RULE IMPACT
The Federal Reserve Board (“FRB”) introduction of the Loan Officer Compensation Rule in August 2010 is moving closer to it’s projected April 1, 2011 implementation date. The FRB recently announced they would delay the implementation of three other proposed rules related to mortgage disclosures but the loan officer compensation rule…
RESPA CLASS ACTION: UNITED STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL JOINS APPEAL IN THE CARTER VERSUS WELLES-BOWEN REALTY INC. TITLE FEE KICKBACK CASE
The 6th Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati, Ohio approved a motion by the United States Attorney General allowing it to intervene on behalf of the plaintiffs in a RESPA class action lawsuit involving kickbacks. The Federal 6th Circuit Court of Appeal will hear the case in early Spring.
RESPA: CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ENFORCEMENT DIVISION TO BE HEADED UP BY RICHARD CORDRAY
The United States Department of Treasury has hired Richard Cordray to lead the Enforcement Division of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which was created under the Dodd-Frank Bill. Richard Cordray was elected as the Ohio Attorney General in 2008. Cordray has filed numerous lawsuits during his tenure as the…
REAL ESTATE SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES ACT (RESPA): HUD ISSUES RESPONSE TO PUBLIC COMMENTS ON HOME WARRANTY COMPANY PAYMENTS TO REAL ESTATE AGENTS AND BROKERS
On November 23, 2010, the Office of General Counsel’s Helen Kanovsky with the Department of Housing and Urban Development “HUD” responded to public comments HUD received on the “Home Warranty Companies’ Payments to Real Estate Brokers and Agents” Interpretive Rule it published on June 25, 2010. HUD’s response was very…