Enforcement

A former California mortgage lender agreed to pay $4.2 million to settle civil fraud allegations that its lending practices in the Southeast caused taxpayers to lose millions of dollars when homeowners defaulted on their loans after the Great Recession.

Two West Virginia law firms have won a federal case against Quicken Loans that stemmed from allegations the lender suggested home values to appraisers who are supposed to be objective.

Royal Bank of Scotland Group agreed to pay $5.5 billion to settle the second of three major U.S. mortgage-backed securities probes the government-owned lender must overcome before it can fully return to the private sector.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development's Mortgagee Review Board has suspended Seckel Capital from originating and underwriting FHA-insured mortgages.

The Trump administration's Justice Department was expected to be less aggressive in its pursuit of False Claims Act cases against the mortgage industry. Instead, its focus has shifted to Federal Housing Administration-insured reverse mortgages.

Morgan Stanley received credit for $30 million of consumer relief, completing 85% of the obligations required by its February 2016 settlement with New York State.

Affordable housing shortages and declining loan volumes are making it difficult for banks to originate enough mortgages to meet their Community Reinvestment Act obligations, which could make filling shortfalls with loans from nonbanks more expensive.

The U.S. Supreme Court dealt a blow to property-rights advocates, ruling against four siblings who said they were unconstitutionally barred from building on a Wisconsin riverfront lot.

City commissioners approved a deal Wednesday aimed at turning around two beachside rental homes that have churned out lawlessness and code violations, but the neighbors who have begged for help are worried the trouble isn't going to stop.

From the Trump administration's initial efforts at reg relief and GSE reform to dramatic shifts in the servicing landscape, here's a look back at the top stories shaping the mortgage industry during the first half of 2017.