A New World for Mortgage Banking – What You Need to Know About the CFPB’s Final Mortgage Servicing Rules
On June 17, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island dismissed pro se plaintiffs’ claims against the Rhode Island Housing and Mortgage Finance Corporation (R.I. Housing) for alleged violations...more
With the recent developments at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), many mortgage lenders have been left wondering about the extent to which the CFPB will enforce federal laws governing the mortgage lending...more
Arsenis v. M&T Bank is a tale of two cases. The bank brought an action against Ms. Arsenis to foreclosure on a mortgage loan in New Jersey Superior Court. Through a combination of defenses and counterclaims in the foreclosure...more
Recently, the CFPB filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan against a real estate company, and an independent real estate brokerage firm and its brokerage affiliates and CEO, alleging...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) filed an action on December 23, 2024, against Rocket Home Real Estate LLC (“Rocket Homes”), a real estate brokerage and affiliates (“Defendant Brokerage”) and an individual...more
On July 10, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) proposed a rule it says will streamline mortgage servicing and the loss mitigation process. If enacted, the proposed rule would significantly revise...more
In this month's article, we share some of our top "bites" for the prior and current month covered during the July 2024 webinar....more
On April 2, 2024, a putative class action was brought against United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) alleging, among other claims, violations of Section 8(a) of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). The lawsuit contains...more
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, Eastern Division, granted in part and denied in part defendant mortgage servicer’s motion to dismiss claims for RESPA Qualified Written Requests violations. Defendant...more
On March 8, 2024, the CFPB issued a blog post signaling a new front in its focus on “junk fees”—mortgage closing costs. Notably, the CFPB suggests that title insurance, credit report and appraisal, origination, and other...more
After a brief respite, Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is back on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB’s) enforcement radar. On August 17, 2023, the CFPB issued two parallel consent...more
On August 17, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that it had taken action against a residential mortgage loan originator that provided illegal incentives to real estate brokers and agents in...more
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri recently considered whether a mortgage servicer received a borrower’s qualified written request (QWR) relating to a missed mortgage payment. The borrower sent a...more
FDIC and OCC Issue Guidance on Authorize Positive, Settle Negative Overdraft Fee Risks. The FDIC and the OCC each have issued supervisory guidance on consumer compliance risk exposure related to the assessment of overdraft...more
In Cantero vs. Bank of America, N.A., mortgage borrowers are asking the Supreme Court of the United States to reverse a Second Circuit ruling that federally-chartered banks need not comply with state laws that require the...more
A&B ABstract: Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an advisory opinion to address the applicability of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)’s Section 8 – the anti-kickback provision –...more
The CFPB recently issued an advisory opinion entitled Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X); Digital Mortgage Comparison-Shopping Platforms and Related Payments to Operators. The CFPB states that it issued the...more
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that a claim based on an alleged violation of the Minnesota Mortgage Originator and Servicer Licensing Act (MOSLA) cannot be maintained when the MOSLA claim was based...more
Each month, we host a 30-minute webinar outlining the month's key announcements and takeaways from the CFPB to be considered by financial services providers. It was a particularly busy month at the CFPB, so as an extra...more
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...more
Announcements Mark Out a Clearer Path, but MSAs and Gifts Still Require Careful Review - Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB” or “Bureau”) announced significant changes to how it will view the...more
In its first No-Action Letter under the new revised policy, the CFPB addresses a long-standing issue under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act regarding certain payment arrangements between mortgage lenders and housing...more
On July 11, 2019, I presented at the American Bankers Association webinar, entitled, “Mortgage Disclosure Cures and Corrections — Mitigating Liability.” Below is a summary of the points presented in the webinar and additional...more
The intersection of Chapter 13 bankruptcy and escrow accounts is complicated and confusing. Since 2011, various bankruptcy rule and form changes have occurred in an effort to eliminate perceived problems with Chapter 13...more
Real Property Update - • Foreclosure / Reverse Mortgage / Condition Precedent: bank failed to establish that the subject property was not the principal residence of surviving co-borrower under its reverse mortgage, a...more