In Brasko v. Howard Bank, 2022 WL 951771 (D. Md. Mar. 29, 2022), a district court recently certified a subclass of residential mortgage borrowers who alleged that First Mariner Bank, a predecessor of Howard Bank, violated...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently provided guidance discouraging mortgage industry participants from entering into marketing services arrangements (MSAs). An MSA is an agreement under which a settlement...more
On October 8, 2015, the CFPB issued compliance Bulletin 2015-05 cautioning against the use of marketing services agreements (MSAs), due to the “substantial legal and regulatory risk” of violating the Real Estate Settlement...more
Lenders utilizing “marketing services agreements” (“MSAs”) beware: On October 8, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) issued a new bulletin strongly cautioning that MSAs often violate Real Estate Settlement...more
Many readers probably remember Edwards v. First American Financial Corp. for its ill-fated journey to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court had granted certiorari to decide the issue of whether a plaintiff who brings a...more
On April 29, 2015, the CFPB, in conjunction with the Maryland Attorney General, filed six proposed consent orders—five of which are against individual defendants—in its latest RESPA enforcement action. The Bureau alleges that...more
On June 12, the CFPB announced that it has issued a Consent Order under which a New Jersey title services company, Stonebridge Title Services Inc., agreed to pay a $30,000 civil money penalty for paying illegal kickbacks for...more