Law and legal issues

A new EquityProtect scorecard finds 16 states have no deed fraud laws, leaving homeowners vulnerable as real estate fraud losses topped $275 million in 2025, with seniors bearing the heaviest financial burden.

Some litigants are "knuckleheads" but others are real threats, and well-pleaded cases can easily cost companies millions of dollars, TCPA attorney Eric Troutman said.

Surge, which claims to serve some of the nation's larger wholesale players, said the lender's behavior was reminiscent of its spat with Black Knight.

SecurityNational Mortgage Co. alleges that the larger competitor facilitated the mass resignation of its staff from Glendale and Scottsdale offices.

The bank's marketing, which hid the nature of its solicitations, led some borrowers to apply for cash-out refis that increased monthly payments, the OCC said.

Dozens of plaintiffs say they still haven't received a full explanation over the mass termination announced last April by FHFA Director Bill Pulte.

Marketing services firm LeadPoint said it thought it had gained compliance after Connecticut officials issued a prior consent order and penalty in 2020.

Loanstream allegedly made over 272,000 calls to over 53,000 unique numbers on the Do Not Call registry over a 10-month period, according to a case filing.

A federal judge refused to sign a settlement agreement between the Department of Justice and Houston developer Colony Ridge because it failed to provide any consumer relief. DOJ agreed to an out-of-court settlement instead.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which has dismissed scores of enforcement attorneys early in President Donald Trump's second term, is staffing up its litigation arm in anticipation of defending its rules in court.

Former Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Randal Quarles, who served during President Trump's first term, said members of the Fed board should be removable by the president, but that the decentralized structure of the Fed will ensure that monetary policy decisions remain sound.

A Colorado couple filed suit after realizing they might owe as much as $279,000 on a home equity investment contract used to obtain $88,000 in 2018.

An appellate court reversed part of an $8.5 million award for attorneys who secured a $38.5 settlement against the lender in 2023 in a False Claims Act case.

A United Wholesale Mortgage executive stepped in to defend a claim against the company, as consumers pelt the industry with more spam call complaints.

Lawsuits and probes are ramping up, and some courts have broadened the lending law's statute of limitations, said Bradley Partner Jonathan Kolodziej.

Finance of America has not disclosed any incident, but a consumer filed an immediate lawsuit over a lone report of a ransomware gang's recent hack.

A court and jury found a father-son executive team liable for wage violations, and a federal judge recently increased the amount of damages for plaintiffs.

The Department of Justice is seeking court approval to immediately fire more than 600 employees, slashing the CFPB's workforce by 53%.

The lender claims an originator ambushed executives in a negotiation with the confidential company financials and claimed to have shared them with competitors.

A federal judge granted the interview request for a brokerage accused of violating the megalender's restriction on selling loans to wholesale competitors.