On January 12, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it filed administrative charges against three California home loan modification assistance companies and their employees, alleging that they targeted Hispanic homeowners by charging thousands of dollars for services that were never provided or were ineffective. HUD’s…
On September 22, 2015, the Nevada Attorney General’s Office announced criminal indictments of several individuals relating to a mortgage fraud scheme. The defendants, who owned and operated a regional mortgage company, allegedly promised homeowners they qualified for a federal program known as the “Neighborhood Stabilization Plan.” As alleged in the…
On September 15, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida had issued two preliminary injunctions against affiliated national debt relief providers and their officers stemming from a lawsuit filed by the CFPB alleging that the debt relief providers misrepresented the nature of their…
On September 3, 2015, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) agreed to settle allegations with a mortgage relief services company that allegedly charged homeowners an illegal fee for assistance the company never provided. The FTC brought its claims under section 5(a) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTCA”), 15 U.S.C. § 45(a), the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule (“MARS…
On August 17, 2015, the North Dakota Attorney General’s Office announced it entered a cease and desist order against a regional consumer credit services company. According to the Attorney General, the company solicited business using illegal robocalls that promised interest rate reductions and other loan modification services. The company allegedly called…
On August 13, 2015, the Ohio Attorney General announced that it had filed a complaint against several loan modification companies that allegedly misrepresented to Ohio consumers the nature of their services. The complaint alleges that the companies violated the Ohio Consumer Sales Practices Act and the Ohio Debt Adjuster’s Act by representing…
On July 30, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced that it will mail checks totaling over $969,000 to consumers who lost money as part of a credit card interest rate reduction scam. In June 2013, the FTC brought suit in the Middle District of Florida against a payment processor and telemarketing company,…
On July 29, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York announced that co-conspirators in a mortgage modification scam pled guilty to conspiracy and fraud. The defendants, through a mortgage modification company, collected fees from residential mortgage holders and promised consumers that the company would either secure them a mortgage modification…
On July 13, 2015, Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen G. Kane announced a settlement with two Philadelphia-based mortgage loan modification companies following an investigation by the states’ Bureau of Consumer Protection. According to the Attorney General’s announcement, the Bureau initiated the investigation as a result of consumer complaints filed against the companies for,…
On June 26, 2015, the Maryland Attorney General announced the filing of administrative charges against a regional law firm over claims the firm charged illegal advance fees in connection with loan modification services. According to the Maryland Attorney General, lawyers at the firm promised consumers that they could obtain modification…
On June 22, 2015, the Maryland Attorney General announced a settlement with two regional mortgage and credit consulting companies and their sole owner over claims the companies made false representations regarding their ability to obtain mortgage approval for consumers, solicited illegal advance fees, and engaged in credit counseling without the…
On May 29, 2015, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida granted the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) and the State of Florida a final default judgment against a Florida Foreclosure Relief Company and its corporate affiliates based on the company’s failure to answer or otherwise…
On May 22, 2015, the Michigan Attorney General (“AG”) and its Homeowner Protection Unit filed charges in Oakland County’s 48th District Court against a Michigan mortgage company and its owner alleging that the owner and mortgage company engaged in a scheme to defraud borrowers by promising to modify mortgages for…
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced that it and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) entered into a Proposed Consent Order with a national mortgage servicing company over allegations that its loss-mitigation activities violated the Federal Trade Commission Act (“FTCA”), the Consumer Financial Protection Act (“CFPA”), the Fair Debt Collection Practices…