Compliance

Goldman Sachs Group will pay $5.1 billion to settle a U.S. probe into its handling of mortgage-backed securities involving allegations that loans weren't properly vetted before being sold to investors as high-quality bonds.

New lender disclosure requirements aren't just disrupting the market for private-label mortgage bonds; they could also impact the market for bonds that transfer credit risk of mortgages insured by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private sector.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit will hear oral arguments Tuesday about the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's structure, in a case that has national implications. Even though a ruling isn't expected until the end of the year, legal experts say there are four major legal issues involved.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's experiments with selling credit risk to investors are a critical element of new plan to merge the two entities and move them out of conservatorship, but what form so-called credit risk transfers take could make a big difference.

The co-owner of a mortgage company responsible for a large-scale fraud scheme was sentenced to 21 months in prison in a Newark, N.J., federal court.

The housing market has been improving but mortgage credit remains "stubbornly" tight on loans bought by the government-sponsored enterprises, according to a chief housing adviser at the White House.

Nomura Holdings Inc. held a training session after a former Jefferies & Co. managing director was indicted for fraud and encouraged its traders not to lie — but that didn't stop the fibbing to customers about bond prices, according to U.S. prosecutors.

No-action letters from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau can be an essential tool for lenders in striving to the mortgage process more consumer-friendly through inventive products and service — but lenders must seek them out.

Stuart Delery, the Justice Department official overseeing civil investigations of banks for conduct related to the financial crisis, is stepping down April 14 to explore options in the private sector.

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision last week not to review a mortgage-backed securities lawsuit renewed interest in a long-brewing legal conflict over the mandate of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's reluctance to outline explicit requirements for marketing services agreements forces lenders and servicers to play guessing games with compliance, executives claim. But the agency says defining what constitutes an illegal MSA isn't so simple.

Two appeals court judges raised constitutional questions Monday about the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the agency's case alleging that PHH Corp. accepted illegal kickbacks.

Landlords can't automatically reject applicants with arrest records under HUD's new fair housing policy.

After nearly 20 years of talk, the time for e-closings is finally here, thanks to a push from government regulators and a broad shift in acceptance across demographics.

Debt collection, credit reporting and mortgages topped the list of complaints to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last year, the agency said Friday.

In a letter to CFPB Director Richard Cordray, the Association of Mortgage Investors said that the "Know Before You Owe" rule has "resulted in a climate of legal uncertainty" and is "chilling" private investment in the U.S. mortgage market.

Widows, divorcees and others who inherit or otherwise receive mortgaged property often have a hard time getting loans modified because there are too many hurdles to proving they own the property.

Although many believe home prices to be impervious to inflation, they are still susceptible to speculation surrounding the Federal Reserve's rumors and decisions on monetary policy.

The government agency that guarantees securitizations of Federal Housing Administration-insured loans is experimenting with a pool type that consists only of modifications and reperforming loans.

The scammers pocketed $3.8 million from troubled homeowners nationwide and did nothing to modify their loans.