Two targets of the CFPBs recent crackdown on the debt relief industry sued the bureau in federal district court in Washington, DC, last week, challenging the constitutionality of the agency, as well as accusing it of data mining and attempting to obtain sensitive bankruptcy information protected by attorney-client privilege. At the heart of the dispute is a civil investigative demand the CFPB issued in March 2012 to Morgan Drexen Integrated Systems, whose personnel served as paralegals and other support staff for Connecticut...
The CFPB filed a civil suit last week against Castle & Cooke Mortgage and two top executives, accusing the Utah-based nonbank of illegally giving bonuses to loan officers who steered consumers into mortgages with higher interest rates. Overall, the firm paid 500 quarterly bonuses roughly $4 million in compensation to its retail loan officers, based on a compensation structure that rewarded them for bringing in mortgages at higher note rates, the government charges.In its suit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Central District...
Freddie Mac's CFO said the "true value" provided by the government-sponsored enterprises isn't billions of dollars in profits. Meanwhile, firms continue to pursue mortgage servicing rights.
HUD Hires Expert to Improve FHA Operations, Risk Management. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced Biniam Gebre as the new general deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Housing. He will be joining the FHA leadership team. Before joining HUD, Gebre served as a principal at global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., where he led a company-wide, public-sector initiative to develop insights, tools and approaches for building capabilities in ...
Ginnie Mae servicers continued to experience modest increases in servicing outstanding while FHA servicers reported a slight increase in 30-to-60 day delinquencies, according to Inside FHA Lendings analysis of the agencies servicing portfolios as of midyear 2013. As of June 30, Ginnie Maes total servicing outstanding was $1.4 trillion, an increase of 6.6 percent from last year and up 1.8 percent from the first quarter, reflecting improvements in government-backed loan originations due to a slowly recovering economy. Ginnie Mae servicing volume has been ... [2 charts]
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has updated its lender requirements for preforeclosure sale (short sale) and deed-in-lieu of foreclosure for implementation on Oct. 1 this year. The short sale or deed-in-lieu of foreclosure are the last options available to a distressed borrower if home-retention options, such as special forbearance, loan modification, partial claim, and FHAs Home Affordable Modification Program are not successful. A short sale allows the borrower to avoid foreclosure by selling the home for less than the loan balance. The lender recovers the remainder from ...