Should You Engage a Financial Advisor?
Discrimination and Bias in Residential Lending
Five Steps a Healthcare Banker Recommends When Acquiring a Medical or Dental Practice
What is an Appraisal?
Episode 014: Business Divorce Stories: Business Appraiser Tony Cotrupe and Attorney Jeff Eilender
Episode 1: Chris Mercer Interview on Marketability Discount: Part 1
Episode 2: Chris Mercer Interview on Marketability Discount: Part 2
Episode 11: Mediating Business Valuation Disputes: Conversation with Arthur Rosenbloom
On March 19, 2025, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2025-08 titled “Rescinding Multiple Appraisal Policy Related Mortgagee Letters.” As the title suggests, FHA rescinded three mortgagee...more
As previously reported, this summer the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) filed a housing discrimination charge under the Fair Housing Act against an appraisal company, individual appraiser, appraisal...more
What Happened? The lender and consumers reached a settlement in an appraisal bias case, Nathan Connolly and Shani Mott v. Shane Lanham, 20/20 Valuations, LLC, and loanDepot.com, LLC, filed in Maryland District Court, that...more
As 2024 gets off the ground, federal regulators are continuing their focus on fair lending issues. In February, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) released a statement on examination principles...more
In this article, we share a timeline of our monthly "bites" for 2023 applicable to mortgage along with some additional related information. ...more
With a roll-out led by Vice President Harris, the federal financial services regulators have released the long-awaited proposed automated valuation model (AVM) rule, referencing both home appraisal bias in mortgage lending...more
The national and administrative focus on advancing racial equity and support for underserved communities keeps fair servicing in the foreground as a top priority for mortgage servicers. In this webinar, you’ll hear from a...more
In this month's article, we share some of our top "bites" for the prior month covered during the March 2023 webinar....more
In this article, we share a timeline of our monthly "bites" for 2022 applicable to the Mortgage industry. So, what happened in 2022?...more
As part of the Biden Administration’s stated focus on narrowing the racial gap in wealth and homeownership, federal agencies launched an Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE), with the goal...more
Please join Alston & Bird's consumer finance attorneys and an economist from Charles River Associates as they discuss new legal and practical approaches to fair lending, fair valuations, and fair servicing. This program will...more
In Mortgagee Letter 2020-20 dated June 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the extension of FHA temporary guidance regarding employment verification and appraisals due to COVID-19. The...more
As covered earlier this week in a legal alert, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a report recommending sweeping regulatory changes for consumer financial services. Within the report, the Treasury also recommended a...more
A June 19, 2018, decision by the North Carolina Court of Appeals will likely make it more difficult for borrowers in the Tar Heel State to sue on the claim that their mortgage originator misled them as to their home’s value....more
Merrill Lynch has already staked out the position in response to the DOL’s retirement account fiduciary duty rule that it would no longer offer commission-based IRAs to retirement savers. Yesterday, it effectively doubled...more
On October 8, 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a compliance bulletin concerning marketing services agreements (MSAs) under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). RESPA - RESPA...more
The CFPB, Fed, and OCC have adjusted the threshold for smaller loans that are exempt from the appraisal requirement for “higher priced mortgage loans.” The appraisal requirement became effective January 18, 2014, and the...more