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
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
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
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
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
On December 2, Bank of America announced that it settled claims brought by Freddie Mac for $404 million. The settlement resolves all remaining representations and warranties claims against Bank of America brought by Freddie...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
Add yet another major settlement to the still-growing list of huge payouts by the nation’s largest banks to settle claims over toxic mortgage-backed securities. Bank of America has now agreed to pay $404 million to Freddie...more
Bank of America and Freddie Mac are currently attempting to resolve a mortgage repurchase dispute in which Freddie Mac claims that Bank of America should have to buy back more than $1.4 billion in mortgage loans it claims...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
In This Issue: CFPB Final Rule Amendments to Ability to Repay and QM Rule; Extension of Loan Modification Programs; Freddie Mac $1 Billion Performing Modified Loan Securitization; FinCEN Guidance on Virtual Currency...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