Photo of James W. Wright Jr.

Jay Wright is a partner in the firm’s Banking and Financial Services and Litigation practice groups. Jay has earned his Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP) designation through the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), and is one of a small number of lawyers who have achieved this status.

Jay’s practice focuses on financial services litigation and regulation, and he is actively involved in lawsuits and disputes across the country representing companies involved in a wide array of state and federal law claims. His representation includes general defense of various claims against financial institutions, mortgage companies, and other commercial entities. Many of these claims involve allegations of wrongful foreclosure proceedings or violations of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), and Federal Housing Administration (FHA) regulations, as well as various deceptive trade practices claims under state law.

On May 31, 2023, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published a draft Mortgagee Letter (ML) titled “Proposed Payment Supplement Partial Claim.” The draft ML proposes use of available partial claims funds to create a new loss mitigation option to assist struggling borrowers.

Generally, a partial claim is an interest-free subordinate loan issued by

Consistent with concerns surrounding bias in property valuations, on June 8, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “board”), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued proposed guidance on

Affirming its commitment to the senior citizen population, on May 17, 2023, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued Mortgagee Letter 2023-10, implementing amendments to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) assignment claim submission criteria.

As a bit of background, a HECM is a reverse mortgage insured by the FHA. HECMs, as any reverse mortgage

In light of growing concerns, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) held its first hearing on appraisal bias on January 24, 2023, at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) headquarters. The FFIEC, a federal interagency body comprised of the Board of Governs of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), Federal Deposit Insurance

On December 15, 2022, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued Mortgagee Letter 2022-23, establishing the COVID-19 Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Property Charge Repayment Plan.

The COVID-19 HECM Property Charge Repayment Plan would aid HECM borrowers in covering costs associated with standard property charges. As a condition of their loan, HECM borrowers are required

On December 19, 2022, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued an additional extension of the temporary waiver of face-to-face contact required under 24 CFR § 203.604 Contact with the Mortgagor, under Mortgagee Actions under Subpart C – Servicing Responsibilities of 24 CFR Part 203 Single Family Mortgage Insurance.

Pursuant to 24 CFR § 203.604

On August 31, 2022, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released Mortgagee Letter 2022-15 titled “Update to Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) Program Requirements for Notice of Due and Payable Status.”

Mortgagee Letter 2022-15 modifies a HECM mortgagee’s notification requirements to a borrower’s estate after a loan becomes due and payable due

On March 15, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 – which included the Adjustable Interest Rate (LIBOR) Act – was signed into law. The LIBOR Act is meant to address concerns with ceasing the use of LIBOR by creating a uniform process for replacing LIBOR in those existing contracts that do not provide for the

FHA Updates Single Family Policy Handbook 4000.1In late July, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) made several important revisions to the Single Family Policy Handbook 4000.1. The new guidance is part of a series of changes recently announced by the Biden-era FHA, including guidance related to COVID-19 recovery loss mitigation options. Describing the changes as primarily “enhancements and revisions” and “technical edits,”

HUD Announces New COVID-19 Recovery Loss Mitigation OptionsIn a bid to avoid a wave of COVID-19-related foreclosures, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published Mortgagee Letter 2021-18 to lenders and servicers on July 23, 2021, that will allow borrowers with loans insured by the Federal Housing Agency (FHA) to extend the term of their mortgages and lock in lower monthly