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Last week, federal banking regulators announced an $8.5 billion settlement with banks and touted the deal as providing quick relief for aggrieved homeowners. Critics, however, charged that the deal was actually a means to quietly end a deeply flawed review of foreclosed loans. The settlement brought to an end an […]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) has adopted a new rule aimed at protecting consumers from irresponsible mortgage lending by requiring lenders to ensure that prospective purchasers have the ability to repay their mortgage. Under the Ability-to-Repay rule announced by CFPB, new mortgages must satisfy basic requirements that protect consumers […]

The Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) has long been aware that older people are often victims of fraudulent activity, perhaps due in part to their tendency to accentuate the positive. According to the FTC, up to 80 percent of scam victims are over the age of 65. A recent study featured […]

In a recently issued case, Evans v. Hendrick Automotive Group, the Court of Appeals affirmed the Industrial Commission’s decision to award workers’ compensation benefits to a woman who was severely injured while returning to her hotel after a dinner party sponsored by her employer. The dinner party was part of […]

It is common knowledge, especially in these dismal economic times, that businesses often hire temporary workers, or “temps,” to cut down on labor costs. By contracting with a temp agency to provide workers, a business can avoid the expenses of hiring a new employee – such as payroll taxes and […]

Bank of America will pay more than $10 billion to settle claims over troubled mortgages. The settlement was announced on January 7, 2013. Pursuant to the deal, Bank of America will pay $3.6 billion to Fannie Mae and will buy back $6.75 billion in loans that Bank of America and […]

Last Friday, federal regulators finalized and announced the settlement of a whistleblower suit alleging that a group of doctors performed medically unnecessary cardiac procedures on patients. The settlement requires an Ohio hospital to pay $3.9 million and a physician group to pay $541,870. The settlement resolves a whistleblower lawsuit filed […]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) recently announced that consumers that were unlawfully charged advance fees for debt-settlement services will receive refunds. State Attorneys General of North Carolina, New Mexico, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and the State of Hawaii Office of Consumer Protection all joined CFPB’s lawsuit, marking the first time […]

The U. S. Department of Justice last month announced a $45 million settlement of a False Claims Act case filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina. Japanese-based Toyo Inc. and various affiliated companies have agreed to pay $45 million to settle claims that they […]

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) recently announced actions to shut down mortgage loan modification scams that had victimized thousands of distressed homeowners throughout the nation. The scams took in more than $10 million by charging consumers for services that falsely promised foreclosure avoidance assistance or renegotiation of mortgages. Federal […]