RESPA Lawyer Blog

CFPB RESPA ENFORCEMENT ACTION ALERT

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:04:15 -0600

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "CFPB" ordered a Texas homebuilder, Paul Taylor, to pay $118,194.20 he received in kickbacks for referring mortgage origination business to Benchmark Bank and to Willow Bend Mortgage Company in violation of the real estate settlement procedures act "RESPA". The CFPB also prohibited Paul Taylor from engaging in future real estate settlement services, including mortgage origination.

The CFPB said Paul Taylor received illegal referral fees through partnerships with Benchmark Bank and Willow Bend Mortgage Company. Taylor and Benchmark Bank created and jointly owned Stratford Mortgage Services, LC, which claimed to be a mortgage originator. The CFPB stated that Taylor and Willow Bend were created and jointly owned a company called PTH Mortgage Company. The CFPB stated that both entities were shams designed to allow Taylor to receive the kickbacks. Pat Taylor's homebuilding company, Paul Taylor Homes, then referred mortgage origination business to the sham entities but the work was actually performed by Benchmark Bank and Willow Bend Mortgage Company. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the kickbacks were passed through the sham entities back to Taylor through profit distributions and as a payment through a “service agreement.”

Of particular note is the CFPB's emphasis on payment via a "service agreement" in this settlement and of the language "employees in a position to refer customers or potential customers to settlement providers." This could be a hint at where the CFPB is headed next in their enforcement actions.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation "FDIC" referred the incident to the CFPB. The FDIC separately fined Benchmark Bank for violating RESPA. The CFPB settlement can be viewed by clicking here.

RESPA CONFERENCE: MARX STERBCOW TO PRESENT AT NATIONAL SETTLEMENT SERVICES SUMMIT IN CLEVELAND, OHIO

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:05:13 -0600

Attorney Marx Sterbcowof the Sterbcow Law Group will lead a panel presentation along with Attorney Jeff Arouh of McLaughlin & Stern at the October Research Corporation's National Settlement Services Summit being held at the Marriott at Key Center in Cleveland, Ohio on June 11, 2013. The session titled "Strategic Alliances and the Future of Affiliated Businesses" will offer practical guidance on the issues surrounding affiliated businesses and their future under the Qualified Mortgage (QM) and Qualified Residential Mortgage proposals under the Dodd-Frank Act and we will examine who the winners and losers are in the affiilated business industry. The session also discusses why lending compliance under the new federal rules and regulations may be fueling growth in the creation of new affiliated businesses even with the 3% lender affiliated business arrangement annual percentage rate (APR) cap on points and fees restriction.

For more information and on-line registration, please go to: 2013 National Settlement Services Summit.

MARX STERBCOW AND CHARLES CAIN TO PRESENT AT RESPA News' RESPA WEBINAR SERIES ON MAY 18, 2013

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 09:52:53 -0600

Marx Sterbcow, Managing Attorney at Sterbcow Law Group, and Charles Cain, Of Counsel to Sterbcow Law Group and Senior Vice President to WFG National Title Insurance Company, have been selected by RESPA News to co-present a webinar on the future of marketing agreements under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). We discuss way to prepare for and deal with the latest issues surrounding the use of Marketing Agreements (also known as Preferred Provider Agreements, Marketing Services Agreements, Advertising Agreements, or Co-Branding Agreements) and whether an enforcement action or guidance bulletin by the CFPB involving the use of these agreements may be forthcoming.

The presentation, entitled "Reviewing your Marketing Agreement and the Interpretive Rule Webinar" will cover issues such as the what a typical Marketing Agreement is; how the HUD interpretive rule on home warranties impacts their use, how to minimize your risks by looking for red flag language, and the impact the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) third party social media compliance bulletin may have on your marketing agreement. The FFIEC's social media bulletin will have a significant impact on the use of these agreements so this is a webinar event you do not want to miss.

This event is from 2:00-3:00 PM EST on Wednesday, May 18, 2013.

To register for Part 3 of the RESPA News Webinar Series please click here.

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU AND DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT ON FAIR LENDING LAWS ENFORCEMENT

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 08:23:53 -0600

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "CFPB" and the United States Department of Justice "DOJ" formally entered into an Memorandum of Understanding Agreement "MOU" pursuant to Section 1054(d)(2)(B) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act which mandated the two agencies to establish an agreement between themselves to help prevent enforcement conflicts and help streamline fair lending law litigation under Federal law. The MOU involves Federal fair lending laws such as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, and Truth In Lending Act.

The MOU outlined three key areas for this cooperative agreement:

1. Information sharing and confidentiality issues: the agencies will be sharing information in matters that the CFPB refers to the Justice Department, in joint investigations under the ECOA, and in order to coordinate fair lending enforcement. The MOU establishes strict confidentiality protections for this shared information.

2. Joint investigations and coordination: the MOU provides for collaboration in investigations as well as coordination in joint investigations involving the CFPB and DOJ. The agencies will also meet regularly to discuss pending fair lending investigations and opportunities for coordination.

3. Referrals and notifications: the CFPB will refer matters to the Justice Department when it has reason to believe that a creditor has engaged in a pattern or practice of lending discrimination. Because a referral to the Justice Department does not affect the CFPB’s authority to pursue its own supervisory or enforcement action, the CFPB and the Justice Department will coordinate their efforts to avoid unnecessarily duplicative actions. The agencies agreed to notify each other of their enforcement work, such as the opening of an investigation or the filing of a lawsuit.

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ISSUES FIRST ANNUAL FAIR LENDING REPORT

Sun, 09 Dec 2012 09:14:55 -0600

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "CFPB" issued their 1st Annual Fair Lending Report which showcases the CFPB's achievements in fair lending enforcement. The report also satisfies the CFPB's reporting requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.

CFPB: THE CLOSING DISCLOSURE STATEMENT AND THE THREE DAY DELIVERY REQUIREMENT PROPOSAL

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 09:30:04 -0600

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "CFPB" has proposed a Three Day Delivery Requirement rule with respect to the issuance of the new Closing Disclosure Statement form to borrowers. The Closing Disclosure Statement is the new name for the integrated HUD-1 Settlement Statement and Truth In Lending Act "TILA". The Three-Day Requirement rule is being proposed because the CFPB wants to try and eliminate the opportunity for some in the industry to spring new fees or charges onto the unsuspecting consumer at the closing table. The CFPB also believes the Three-Day Requirement rule will give borrowers more time to educate themselves about their transaction.

The Three-Day Delivery Requirement proposal mandates The Closing Disclosure Statement be delivered to and recieved by the borrower in most residential closed-end mortgage transactions at least three days prior to the consumation of the transaction. The Three-Days are calculated as three "Business Days" which are defined as all days except for Sunday and legal Federal holidays.

If during the Three-Day Delivery before the but before the scheduled closing date, a fee or charge that the borrower will pay increases or decreases the borrower must be given a new updated Closing Disclosure Statement form and wait three additional business days before consumation of the transaction.

§ 1026.19(f) on page 738 of the Integrated Mortgage Disclosures under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) and the Truth In Lending Act (Regulation Z) proposal states "the creditor shall ensure that the consumer recieves the disclosures required under paragraph (f)(1)(i) of this section no later than three business days before consumation."

The CFPB is proposing that delivery of The Closing Disclosure Statement must be provided to the borrower either: (1) in person, (2) by mail/Federal Express/courier, or (3) by email at least three business days prior to the closing.

RESPA: INTEGRATED MORTGAGE DISCLOSURES UNDER RESPA AND TILA PROPOSAL RELEASED

Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:03:14 -0600

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "CFPB" released the "Integrated Mortgage Disclosures under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) and the Truth In Lending Act" (Regulation Z) proposed rule today. The CFPB is asking the public to comment on the rule on or before November 6, 2012 with the exception of 12 CFR 1026.1(c) and 1024.4 in which comments are due on or before September 7, 2012. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act directed the CFPB to issue proposed rules and forms that combine certain disclosures that consumers recieve in connection with applying for and closing on a mortgage loan under the TILA and RESPA. The CFPB has proposed to amend Regulation X (RESPA) and Regulation Z (TILA) to establish new disclosure requirements and forms in Regulation Z for most closed-end consumer credit transactions secured by real property.

To read a copy of this proposed rule please click the link below. Warning the document is 1099 pages so becareful before hitting the print button on your computer!
http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=CFPB-2012-0028-0001

If you care to comment on the proposed rule the comment form can be accessed by clicking the link below:
http://www.regulations.gov/#!submitComment;D=CFPB-2012-0028-0001

CFPB: CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU ISSUES BULLETIN ON SERVICE PROVIDER COMPLIANCE

Mon, 07 May 2012 14:18:54 -0600

On April 13, 2012 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued Bulletin 2012-03 titled "Service Providers". The CFPB stated that it expects supervised banks and nonbanks to oversee their business relationships with their service providers in a manner that ensures compliance with Federal consumer financial law, which is designed to protect the interests of consumers and avoid consumer harm.

The term "Service Provider" is defined in Section 1002(26) of the Dodd-Frank Act as "Any person that provides a material service to a covered person in connection with the offering or provision by such covered person of a consumer financial product or service." (12 U.S.C. Section 5481(26)). A "Service Provider" may or may not be affiliated with the person to which it provides services."

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in its bulletin states that the CFPB "recognizes that the use of service providers is often an appropriate business decision for supervised banks and nonbanks. Supervised banks and nonbanks may outsource certain functions to service providers due to resource constraints, use service providers to develop and market additional products or services, or rely on expertise from service providers that would not otherwise be available without significant investment."

The CFPB's bulletin expresses concerns about the lack of liability by the lender to the consumer for third party behavior. "The mere fact that a supervised bank or nonbank enters into a business relationship with a service provider does not absolve the supervised bank or nonbank of responsibility of complying with Federal consumer financial law to avoid consumer harm. A "service provider" that is unfamiliar with the legal requirements applicable to the products or services being offered, or that does not make efforts to implement those requirements carefully and effectively, or that exhibits weak internal controls, can harm consumers and create potential liabilities for both the service provider and the entity with which it has a business relationship." The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau states that "depending on the circumstances, legal responsibility may lie with the supervised bank or nonbank as well as with the supervised service provider."

In short the CFPB now expects supervised banks and nonbanks to make sure the service providers comply with the law. The CFPB by issuance of this bulletin has effectively put the entire real estate industry on notice that if they want to do business in the future they had better make sure their internal controls are in place otherwise the supervised bank or nonbank will cease doing business with you.

RESPA CLASS ACTION SURVIVES MOTION TO DISMISS RESPA CLAIMS IN ATLANTA

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:29:00 -0600

The Heather Q. Bolinger, et al v. First Multiple Listing Service, Inc., et al (Case 2:10-cv-00211-RWS) which is being litigated in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia Gainesville Division survived the Defendant's Motion to Dismiss the case on January 18, 2012.

The First Multiple Listing Service Inc. lawsuit contends the federal Real Estate Settlement Practices Act (“RESPA”) requires full disclosure of all fees and charges in real estate closings involving a federal mortgage loan. RESPA also prohibits unearned fees or kickbacks designed to encourage the referral of business by settlement service providers, such as First Multiple Listing Service ("FMLS") and its member real estate brokers. One of the principal purposes of these RESPA provisions is to lower the cost of real estate closings to consumers by eliminating secret, disguised, and inflated charges.

The Bolinger et al. class action lawsuit alleges that:

1. Members of FMLS, which include virtually every residential real estate broker and agent in North Georgia, are required to list with FMLS all properties for sale and to pay undisclosed, unearned transaction fees to FMLS after closing and all services are rendered. Consumers either pay these fees directly or through inflated commissions.

2. Real Estate Brokers receive a kickback of all or substantially all of those fees from FMLS, and share in transaction fees paid on other closings. The suit further contends that these unearned hidden settlement fees and kickbacks are funded by real estate commissions paid by consumers. The hidden transaction settlement fee is $1.20 per thousand dollars of the selling price (i.e., .0012% of the sales price), and is doubled if the listing and selling agents work for different real estate brokers.

For example, the sale of a house for $200,000 with different listing and selling real estate agents would result in an undisclosed hidden transaction settlement fee of $480. In most transactions, the hidden settlement fee is not disclosed to the buyer or seller, either in the voluminous documents executed at closing or otherwise, and the kickbacks are never disclosed.

3. In addition to violating RESPA, these practices violate the Sherman Act, which is the core federal antitrust law. Notably, the “MLS Antitrust Compliance Policy” of the National Association of REALTORS® expressly prohibits basing MLS fees on a percentage of the sales price rather than the value of the services rendered [download NAR policy here]. Yet investigation for the lawsuit found not only that, as alleged, FMLS charges a per-transaction fee based on the sales price, and pays a kickback to brokers for utilizing its services, but that FMLS may be the only MLS in the country to do so. Further, the fees associated with FMLS are alleged to be higher than those charged by MLS’s elsewhere in Georgia and around the country.

Taylor English Duma LLP, a law firm with offices in Atlanta and Savannah, Pope, McGlamry, Kilpatrick, Morrison & Norwood, LLP, a Georgia law firm with offices in Atlanta and Columbus, and the New Orleans based Sterbcow Law Group LLC have filed a lawsuit on behalf of buyers and sellers of residential real estate in metro Atlanta and North Georgia against First Multiple Listing Service, Inc. (“FMLS”), its member real estate brokers, the agents who handled the transactions of the named plaintiffs, and three boards of REALTORS®, alleging a longstanding practice of FMLS and its members in charging buyers and sellers unearned hidden transaction fees in connection with residential real estate closings in violation of federal and state law. FMLS is a multiple listing service (“MLS”) that provides an electronic database for listing residential real estate for sale. It is the largest MLS in metro Atlanta and North Georgia.

For more information please visit the FMLS CLASS ACTION WEBSITE.

RESPA: H.R. 2446 RESPA HOME WARRANTY CLARIFICATION ACT OF 2011

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 15:09:03 -0600

H.R. 2446 known as the "RESPA Home Warranty Clarification Act of 2011" passed The Insurance, Housing, and Community Opportunity Subcommittee last week. US Congresswoman Judy Biggert sponsored the bill and is the Chairman of the subcommittee. The RESPA Home Warranty Clarification Act as currently written by Rep. Biggert seeks to clarify the scope of RESPA by exempting home warranty companies as settlement service providers and would require that consumers are given clear notice that their real estate agent could receive a referral fee for selling them a home warranty. According to Rep. Biggert, Home warranties should not be subjected to these RESPA regulations because the sale of home warranties is outside the scope of RESPA.

Rep. Biggert seeks to overturn the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Interpretive Rule which stated that a "homeowner's warranty is covered as a "settlement service" under HUD's RESPA regulations at 24 CFR 3500.2 it issued on June 25, 2010.

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU: "THE EARLY WARNING NOTICE" PROCEDURE ANNOUNCED FOR ENFORCEMENT ACTION

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:57:44 -0600

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "CFPB" announced plans today to implement an early warning enforcement action plan ("the Early Warning Notice") which would allow those under investigation the ability to respond to the CFPB. The CFPB Bulletin 2011-04 (Enforcement) announced the first in a series of periodic bulletins the CFPB will release which are aimed at providing information about the policies and priorities of the CFBP's Bureau of Enforcement.

"Before the Office of Enforcement recommends that the Bureau commence enforcement proceedings, the Office of Enforcement may give the subject of such recommendation notice of the nature of the subject's potential violations and may offer the subject the opportunity to submit a written statement in response. The decision whether to give such notice is discretionary, and a notice may not be appropriate in some situations, such as in cases of ongoing fraud or when the Office of Enforcement needs to act quickly."

It is important to note that if the subject(s) of an investigation is asked to provide the Bureau of Enforcement a response statement and the subject prepares and submits the response statement under oath to the Bureau the response may be discoverable by third parties.

The Early Warning Notice also allows any person involved in an investigation to voluntarily submit a written statement at any point during an investigation.

RESPA: THE CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU UNVEILS SUPERVISION AND EXAMINATION MANUAL

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 13:47:51 -0600

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "CFPB" recently released the Supervision and Examination Manual--Version 1.0 which is the Manual the CFPB will use to supervise and examine consumer financial service providers under its authority. The Supervision and Examination Manual "SEM" is divided up into three sections. Section I details the supervision and examination process. Section II outlines the compliance examination procedures. Section III is the risk assessment template which was designed to keep an eye on possible risks to consumers by CFPB supervised entities.

OBAMA ADMINISTRATION NOMINATES CAROL GALANTE FOR FHA COMMISSIONER

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:32:06 -0600

The Obama administration nominated Carol J. Galante as Commissioner to the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Galante replaces Robert Ryan who filled in as Acting Secretary of FHA when Dave Stevens resigned to take over the Mortgage Bankers Association earlier this year.

Prior to being nominated as Commissioner of FHA she was a deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Multifamily Housing at HUD and prior to that she was served as President and CEO of BRIDGE Housing.

RESPA SECTION 8(B): U.S. SUPREME COURT GRANTS CERTIORARI IN "FREEMAN VERSUS QUICKEN LOAN" UNEARNED FEE DISPUTE

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:46:16 -0600

The United States Supreme Court announced that it would finally resolve the issue of whether the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act ("RESPA") under Section 8(B) prohibits one settlement service provider from charging consumers a fee for settlement service work the provider did not perform or whether an unearned fee must be split by two or more providers in order for the service fee to be deemed illegal.

Section 8(B) of RESPA states:
"No person shall give and no person shall accept any portion, split, or percentage of any charge made or received for the rendering of a real estate settlement service in connection with a transaction involving a federally related mortgage loan other than for services actually performed." 12 U.S.C. 2607(b)

The Supreme Court granted certiorari in the Freeman v. Quicken Loans case because not only have the district courts been divided on the issue but the appellate courts have been divided as well. The Freeman case is lawsuit that was heard in the 5th Circuit out of New Orleans. The 5th Circuit said Quicken's charges for loan discount fees and a loan processing fee were not prohibited by RESPA Section 8(B), 12 U.S.C. 2607(b) even though the fees the consumer paid did not go towards lowering their interest rate nor could Quicken show where they performed any work in connection with their charges.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with the 5th Circuit District Court Judge Carl Barbier and ruled in favor of Quicken Loan. The Obama Administration pushed the US Supreme Court to hear this issue because they side with the plaintiff's position in this case. Currently the 4th, 5th, 7th, and 8th Circuits have held that RESPA Section 8 is exclusively an anti-kickback statute and under Section 8(b) that two or more parties are required in order to have a Section 8(b) violation. The 2nd, 3rd, and 11th Circuits rejected the two or more party requirement and have held that RESPA Section 8(b) prohibits mark-ups where only one party is involved. The 2nd Circuit (Cohen v. JP Morgan) ruled that Section 8(b) prohibits one settlement service provider's from charging undivided unearned fees.

It is interesting to note that this is only the second RESPA case the Supreme Court has ever taken up and the first case is also being heard this session in the "Edwards v. First American" case. The oral arguments are scheduled sometime in January and the Supreme Court should rule sometime in June 2012.

RESPA VIOLATION LITIGATION COULD HINGE ON WHETHER PLAINTIFF HAS STANDING TO SUE WITHOUT AN ACTUAL INJURY IN FACT

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:09:42 -0600

Daniel Fisher of Forbes Magazine wrote an article today titled ""Sleeper" Case Asks Whether Plaintiffs Can Sue Without An Injury." Mr. Fisher's article highlights the Edwards v. First American case and discusses the positive impact a Supreme Court's ruling would have for corporations facing civil and class action lawsuits from consumers who might have a hard time showing actual injury in fact damages.

The Edwards case stems from a real estate settlement procedures act (RESPA) class action where the Edwards' were required to purchase a title insurance policy from First American. First American's actions allegedly violated Section 8(c)(2) of RESPA where the federal rules state that affiliated businesses can't require that borrowers use their affiliated businesses and the civil penalty for violating this rule is treble damages on all fees paid to First American plus attorney's fees.

The US Supreme Court is looking at standing to sue under Article 3 of the US Constitution in the Edwards case. "First American argues Edward suffered no harm and therefore has no standing to sue under Article III of the Constitution. Under Article III federal courts are limited to hearing “cases” or “controversies” and the Supreme Court has since decided that means somebody who has suffered actual harm or is in imminent danger of it."

Fisher's business article on Forbes.com explains how the future decision by the Supreme Court in the Edwards case would impact not only the financial services industry but the decision will have a major impact on the automobile industry among others. The ramifications of the Edwards decision by the US Supreme Court could certainly change the way businesses operate because the threat of civil litigation by consumers will be significantly curtailed. A ruling in favor of First American would also put more pressure on regulators to regulate compliance issues.