Weekly Brief: BoA Sued; SCOTUS Shortlists; Fund Fights Argentina
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals dealt the DOJ a blow yesterday with a ruling that “rejected the government’s claim that a lower court had applied antitrust laws incorrectly in allowing the merger” between AT&T and Time Warner...more
With complaint piling up, Fannie Mae has decided to stop selling REO properties to Vision Property, the rent-to-own home business that’s been the subject of predatory-lending investigations of late....more
Investor plaintiffs won a big discovery battle with the US gov’t over its 2012 decision to seize Fannie & Freddie’s profits. Federal Claims Court Judge Margaret Sweeney has ruled that the government improperly invoked the...more
A breach of contract is insufficient to also support a claim for fraud, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, reversing a $1.2 billion verdict against Countrywide Home Loans in the process. What happened - ...more
When does a breach of contract amount to fraud? Last week the Second Circuit answered this question and reversed a $1.27 billion judgment against Bank of America and a $1 million judgment against a former executive for their...more
On Monday, the Second Circuit overturned a jury verdict and $1.27 billion penalty against Bank of America imposed under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA), 12 U.S.C. § 1833a....more
Tribune’s not only given a hard “no” to Gannett, but it’s got some new firepower (and capital) on its side thanks to a $70.5 million investment by Nant Capital—a group “founded by Patrick Soon-Shiong, a billionaire who has...more
The circumstances under which a condominium or homeowners association (HOA) lien for unpaid assessments may wipe out a lender’s mortgage lien continues to evolve across the country. As noted in our previous alerts regarding...more
In Haynes v. McCalla Raymer, LLC, No. 14–14036, __ F. 3d __, 2015 WL 4188459 (11th Cir. July 13, 2015), the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the Northern District of Georgia’s grant of summary judgment in favor of...more
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was enacted as a measure to promote financial stability and protection for consumers through increased regulation of nearly every aspect of the consumer finance...more
EBA Outlines Upcoming Initiatives for the Regulation of Retail Payments - The European Banking Authority ("EBA") has announced details of its plans to harmonize regulatory and supervisory practices to ensure secure, easy...more
The state of Michigan has supplied the Sixth Circuit with no shortage of foreclosure-related decisions since the financial crisis, but the court’s recent decision in Garcia v. Federal National Mortgage Association, No....more
FHFA Updates Requirements for Freddie and Fannie Sales of Non-Performing Loans - On March 2, FHFA announced changes to requirements for sales of non-performing loans (NPLs) by Freddie and Fannie to reduce the number of...more
BofA’s “hustling” attempt to overturn a $1.27 billion judgment against it and Countrywide—along with the individual defendant identified in the next paragraph, the “Defendants”—in the U.S. District Court for the Southern...more
On February 3, Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York denied Bank of America Corporation’s and Rebecca Mairone’s motion for judgment as a matter of law, or, in the...more
EBA Consults on RTS on Contractual Recognition of Write-Down and Conversion Powers under BRRD - On November 5, the European Banking Authority (EBA) published a consultation paper on draft regulatory technical standards...more
On March 26, Bank of America and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, announced a settlement of FHFA’s RMBS-related suits against the Bank. The Bank has agreed to pay...more
Council of EU Publishes UK Issues Paper on MLD4 - On November 24, the Council of the European Union published a note (dated November 8, 2013) from the Council Presidency to Council Delegations which includes a UK...more
A federal jury ruled yesterday that Countrywide, now owned by Bank of America, defrauded Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by selling them defective mortgages in advance of the great financial crisis of 2008. A former Countrywide...more
An order yesterday by U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in New York clears the way for a trial on September 23 in a government lawsuit accusing Bank of America Corp. of fraud in the sale of billions of dollars of toxic mortgage...more
According to a report released Tuesday by Fannie Mae, the big banks who love to act like “injured innocents” when it comes to making mortgage repurchase and indemnification demands on loan originators had their own...more
In This Issue: - Financial Industry Developments •CFPB Rules on Ability-to-Repay and Qualified Mortgages •Independent Foreclosure Review Settlement •CFPB Final Rules on High-Cost Mortgages •Rating Agency...more
Bank of America announced on January 7 that it would pay $3.6 billion to Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and repurchase for $6.75 billion certain residential mortgage loans sold to Fannie Mae....more
On October 24, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York filed suit against Bank of America and Countrywide seeking damages for over $1 billion in alleged losses suffered by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac....more