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Brian O’Dell represents financial service providers in regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters related to mortgage servicing, mortgage origination, credit cards, debt collection and title insurance. He assists clients in navigating regulatory issues and potential liability by ensuring that their operations are in compliance with federal and state consumer financial protection laws and that they are able to successfully demonstrate their compliance to federal and state regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).

As we have addressed on this blog, home equity investment (HEI) products, such as shared appreciation mortgages and home equity agreements, have come under recent scrutiny from regulators and industry groups. The crux of the debate is whether these products should fall under existing regulatory regimes for mortgage loans or require entirely new

On April 13, 2026, Maine enacted new laws (L.D. 1901) that are intended to have an immediate and retroactive impact on the origination and servicing of shared appreciation mortgage loans secured by residential real estate located in Maine.

According to the Coalition for Home Equity Partnership (CHEP), which represents the shared equity industry

Home equity products enable homeowners to unlock the value of their homes through a variety of financing contracts. Each product has distinct features, benefits, and risks. In this post, we compare and contrast common home equity products, including home equity lines of credit (HELOC), closed-end home equity loans (HEL), reverse mortgages, and home equity agreements

What to Make of the CFPB’s Enforcement Activity under Director Kraninger; Bradley to Hold March 26 WebinarSince Kathleen Kraninger was confirmed as the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on December 6, 2018, six enforcement actions have been publicly resolved. Those cases have involved various types of defendants, and have covered a broad range of conduct that allegedly violated federal consumer financial law. Individuals, a federally chartered savings association,