State regulators

Walter Investment Management Corp. subsidiary Ditech Financial has paid $1.4 million as part of an agreement to settle claims of alleged abusive debt collection practices in Massachusetts.

Regulatory infighting over bond loans offered by down payment assistance programs has the potential to curtail lending to first-time buyers and do real damage to homeownership.

Ocwen Financial Corp.'s loan servicing subsidiary has reached a settlement with the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions' consumer services division over the servicer's practice of using unlicensed offshore companies.

The California State Assembly approved legislation Monday that would expand the rights of a deceased homeowner's surviving loved ones, including widows, widowers and other heirs.

Mortgage lenders can expand their businesses by catering to borrowers who aren't proficient in English, but doing so requires strategic recruiting and hiring and compliance with federal and state regulations.

New York's State Assembly has passed legislation that seeks to address problems related to preforeclosure vacant and abandoned properties.

The California State Senate has approved legislation to expand the rights of widows, widowers and other heirs facing foreclosure following the death of a loved one.

The California Association of Realtors has renewed its push for promised Federal Housing Administration guidance that would make Property Assessed Clean Energy liens subordinate to first mortgage liens.

The House passed a bill Thursday that would authorize state insurance commissioners to approve flood insurance policies for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other federally backed mortgages.

The monitor of the Bank of America Mortgage Settlement distributed roughly $89 million Tuesday to legal assistance groups in nine states from a fund for federal tax assistance.