The CFPB and the Navajo Nation took joint action last week against companies and individuals who allegedly operated an illegal tax-refund scheme. The alleged scam was based on tax-preparation franchises steering low-income consumers, including many citizens of the Navajo Nation, toward high-cost tax-refund-anticipation loans, the bureau said. The complaint identified Jeffrey Scott Thomas, who through his company, J Thomas Development of NM, Inc., owned four H&R Block tax-preparation franchises in New Mexico. The bureau and the Navajo Nation did not find that H&R Block participated in this scheme, the CFPB said, and H&R Block terminated its relationship with those franchises, which then closed in September 2014. “Before they closed, the tax franchises catered largely to low-income citizens of the Navajo ...

A group of investors who purchased more than $8 billion in loans from mini-correspondents in 2014 responded to the CFPB’s “mini-corr” guidance and suggested the bureau use somewhat different questions when trying to determine if an entity under review has in fact made the transition from mortgage broker to correspondent lender. According to a copy of the materials sent to the bureau and obtained by Inside the CFPB, the first question the investors suggested was, when does the sales transaction take place when a loan is sold by a lender to an investor? To ensure that a transaction in question truly occurs as a sale in the secondary market, as opposed to a table-funded transaction, several steps should transpire, the ...

CFPB Community Bank Advisory Council Meeting April 22. CFPB Director Richard Cordray plans to discuss credit scores and credit reporting and the related implications for community banks when the bureau convenes the next meeting of its Community Bank Advisory Council on April 22, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in Washington, DC. The event is scheduled to be held at the bureau’s location at 1275 First Street, N.E., and is open to the public, but an RSVP is required to attend. CFPB to Hold Research Conference May 7-8. The CFPB plans to host its first research conference May 7-8, 2015. The conference will focus on high-quality consumer finance research, with academic and government researchers presenting their research papers. “The goal ...

A recent $36 million settlement agreement between Golden First Mortgage Corp. and the federal government is raising questions about the lender’s ability to pay. The Department of Justice apparently has a plan to collect from a company that is no longer in business and hardly generated enough revenue to pay the full settlement amount. Whatever that plan is, the agency is not disclosing it. Based in upstate New York, Golden First agreed to pay up to resolve allegations that it ...

CFPB Deputy Director Steven Antonakes revealed recently that the bureau is increasingly concerned about the subprime auto finance sector and will crack down on any practices that prove to be too risky for consumers. Speaking at an event of the Consumer Bankers Association, Antonakes identified a loosening of credit in the subprime auto loan market as one of the emerging risks the bureau is paying close attention to. “From our standpoint, it is not inherently troubling that more consumers are getting auto loans; under the right conditions, increased access to credit is good for the economy and individual upward mobility,” the deputy director said. “However, we have noticed some trends in connection with this credit expansion that give us cause ...

The CFPB brought an enforcement action against National Corrective Group, a nationwide debt collection operation based in San Clemente, CA, and CEO Mats Jonsson, accusing them of using deceptive threats of criminal prosecution and jail time in order to intimidate consumers into paying debts for bounced checks. The bureau also accused the company of misleading consumers into believing they have to sign up for a costly financial education program to avoid criminal charges. The CFPB complaint also alleges that National Corrective Group created a false impression for consumers that its communications were from a state or district attorney’s office. “The company sent letters on prosecutors’ letterheads that appeared to be signed by the state or district attorney,” the bureau said...

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments on two cases that could have significant ramifications for how second liens are handled when a borrower has negative equity. Both of the cases involve Bank of America arguing on behalf of second-lien lenders and holders. “The Supreme Court’s resolution of the BofA v. Caulkett and BofA v. Toledo-Cardona will either ratify the trend of other circuits, which would benefit junior lenders, or overturn it, which would favor homeowners and first-lien mortgagees,” according to lawyers at ...

Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed securities issuance fell in the first quarter of 2015 with FHA volume slipping during the period, according to an Inside FHA/VA Lending’s analysis of agency data.Ginnie MBS production in the first quarter totaled $79.8 billion, down from $80.6 billion in the 4Q14, despite a 29.3 percent increase from February to March. On the other hand, production was up 41.6 percent from a year ago.FHA-backed Ginnie MBS issuance dropped 3.1 percent in the first quarter from 4Q14, ending the period with $39.9 billion. Year-over-year volume rose 22.0 percent from the previous year. On the other hand, refinancing increased to $12.3 billion from $7.8 billion during the same stretch. VA securitization totaled $35.5 billion, up from $33.6 billion quarter-over-quarter, powered by refinance loans. Rural housing securitization totaled $4.2 billion in the first quarter, down from $5. 7 billion in 4Q14. Securitized FHA purchase loans rose 7.7 percent in March from February, while ... [3 charts].

The Department of Veterans Affairs will continue removing barriers to delivering home-loan benefits to veterans and service members in 2015, focusing more on further improvements in appraisal and servicing. “It’s going to be geared around improving on the things we have already done,” said Mike Frueh, director of the VA Home Loan Guaranty program. VA loan originations are on the upswing and the agency wants to maintain the trend by getting more vets and active-duty personnel into the program. Last year, 18 percent of VA loans were to active-duty service members and 82 percent to veterans. Frueh said the VA program is by far the better deal. Interest rates are lower on a VA loan than on conventional loans and, generally requires no downpayment, he noted. In addition, VA loans do not have mortgage insurance. Based on the volume of VA loans originated in 2014, veteran borrowers ...

The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General has finalized settlements with two direct endorsement lenders to resolve allegations of violating FHA underwriting requirements. Golden First Mortgage Corp. and Group One Mortgage agreed to pay a total of $36.41 million to the federal government in reparation for losses incurred by the FHA on the defaulted loans. Based in Great Neck, NY, Golden First, a privately held company, and its owner/president, David Movtady, allegedly falsely certified to FHA and HUD that the loans the company endorsed for insurance met all FHA requirements. This went on from 2002 through 2010, the OIG alleged. The OIG accused the company and Movtady of violating the False Claims Act, which prohibits acts to defraud the federal government and which has been instrumental in ...