Many of Texas’ largest counties have suspended foreclosures for the month of April amid coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, including the state’s two largest counties, Harris and Dallas. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, however, has yet to issue an executive order or make a general proclamation cancelling all foreclosures statewide. Likewise, the Texas Supreme Court has also declined … Continue Reading
As regulatory agencies provide guidance regarding working from home for financial services professionals while the COVID-19 outbreak progresses, we summarized the additional guidance issued in the recent past and current as of March 24, 2020. California Department of Real Estate Released Frequently Asked Questions Relating to COVID-19 The California Department of Real Estate’s Frequently Asked … Continue Reading
As we continue to follow the trend of regulatory agencies providing guidance allow working from home for financial services professionals while the COVID-19 outbreak progresses, we summarized the additional guidance issued in the recent past and current as of March 19, 2020. Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Real Estate Issued an Advisory on … Continue Reading
A recent decision from the Maryland Court of Appeals provided somewhat surprising new guidance on the permissibility of confessed judgment clauses in consumer contracts. In Goshen Run Homeowners Association, Inc. v. Cisneros, the Court concluded that Maryland’s Consumer Protection Act (the “Maryland CPA”) prohibits all confessed judgment clauses in all consumer contracts. In the underlying … Continue Reading
Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom revealed plans to create a state version of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) as part of the state’s proposed 2020-2021 budget. According to the governor’s Budget Summary, “[t]he federal government’s rollback of the CFPB leaves Californians vulnerable to predatory businesses and leaves companies without the clarity … Continue Reading
Effective July 1, 2019, Georgia House Bill 212 will affirmatively exempt retailers or retail brokers of manufactured or mobile homes from the state’s “mortgage broker” definition under Ga. Code Ann. § 7-1-1000. The bill specifically exempts manufactured housing retailers from mortgage broker licensing requirements, and the oversight that comes with licensure, provided the retailer or … Continue Reading
As lenders and servicers continue to litigate in Nevada’s state and federal courts about the effect of homeowner associations’ (HOAs) foreclosure sales, some questions have proven particularly sticky. What happens when a lender mails in a check to an HOA for its superpriority lien, but the check is refused? How about when the lender offers … Continue Reading
The Arkansas State Legislature modified the Fair Mortgage Lending Act in February to “comply with recent developments in Federal Law and other purposes.” Federal law was recently amended to allow for Temporary Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO) Authority as defined under the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act or S.2155. The “other purposes” reason … Continue Reading
With the start of the new year, California has expanded protections for military servicemembers with student loans. Student loans incurred by a protected servicember before entry into service have an interest rate cap of 6 percent during the period of service plus one year thereafter. Additionally, student borrowers can obtain a deferment on their payment … Continue Reading
Following a recent trend in the financial services regulatory arena, Ohio recently passed legislation requiring mortgage servicers, including entities that merely hold mortgage servicing rights (MSRs), to obtain a Residential Mortgage Lending Act Certificate of Registration in the state. Substitute House Bill 489, which passed the legislature on December 5, 2018, and was signed by Gov. … Continue Reading
For years, the “legal” cannabis industry – operating in states that have legalized cannabis under state law despite its long-standing prohibition under federal law – and the financial institutions that serve the industry have closely watched Safe Streets Alliance v. Hickenlooper. In Hickenlooper, Safe Streets Alliance, a “nonprofit organization devoted to reducing crime and illegal … Continue Reading
As discussed in Part 1, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CalCoPA) is a game-changing privacy act that sets a new bar for consumer privacy rights in the U.S. The primary reason it differs from existing legislation is that it goes beyond merely having to provide assurances or notices and requires organizations to be … Continue Reading
As we’ve discussed on this blog before, Nevada’s courts remain a battleground for lenders seeking to establish that their security interests were not eliminated by homeowners’ association foreclosure sales under NRS 116. In recent weeks, the Ninth Circuit and Supreme Court of Nevada have issued new opinions providing more guidance to ultimately resolve those issues. … Continue Reading
As most people started to wind down for the July 4th holiday week, California was just ramping up its “as California goes” focus on data privacy. On June 28, 2018, California passed a comprehensive data privacy bill that has been touted as the strictest in the nation. The good news first—businesses have until January 1, … Continue Reading
Since 1996, when California became the first state to legalize marijuana (at the time, for medicinal purposes only), 28 additional states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana to some extent. Public support for legalization continues to rise as more and more jurisdictions loosen their marijuana laws, with 64 percent of Americans in favor … Continue Reading
Auto lenders, like many private citizens, began 2017 curious as to what change the impending Trump administration would bring. In the landscape of government enforcement, however, the consensus amongst industry participants was that the Trump administration would bring loosened regulation for the consumer finance industry. Many industry insiders mused about the potential sea change that … Continue Reading
Today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit issued a significant decision in favor of lenders and mortgage servicers fighting off claims that their mortgage liens were extinguished by Nevada homeowners associations’ foreclosures from 2010 to 2014. In Berezovsky v. Moniz, the court held that the Federal Foreclosure Bar found in the Housing … Continue Reading
Oregon’s legislature continues to add state level regulations to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (“HECM,” more commonly known as a reverse mortgage) marketplace. In 2015, the state imposed a series of content and presentation requirements on any “advertisement, solicitation, or communication” HECM lenders used to induce potential borrowers to apply for a HECM loan. When … Continue Reading
The Government-Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) and their servicers scored a significant victory last week in the Nevada Supreme Court. In Nationstar Mortgage, LLC v. SFR Investments Pool 1, LLC (Case No. 69400), the court held that mortgage servicers have standing to assert, on behalf of the GSE investor, that the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) … Continue Reading
In Florida, courts routinely enforce jury trial waiver provisions found in loan agreements, which are generally valid and enforceable. This is true even with respect to fair debt actions. However, because there is generally a fundamental right to a jury trial, waivers of this right are strictly construed. As such, federal courts in Florida have … Continue Reading
The mortgage industry scored a significant victory last week when the Florida Supreme Court released its decision in Bartram v. U.S. Bank, N.A. broadly approving of the approach taken by the Fifth District Court of Appeal and other courts in addressing the application of the statute of limitations in the context of an action for … Continue Reading
The Ninth Circuit denied the plaintiff’s request to rehear Bourne Valley Court Trust v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., in which the Ninth Circuit found NRS 116 to be unconstitutional on its face because the statute violates a first lien holder’s due process rights by impermissibly shifting the burden to mortgage lenders to affirmatively request notice … Continue Reading
As we have previously covered in a series of blog posts, the Nevada Supreme Court held in September 2014 that Nevada Revised Statute chapter 116 allows homeowners’ associations (HOAs) to non-judicially foreclose on homeowners who have overdue assessments, which may extinguish a first lien holder’s deed of trust. That holding, as well as the confusion … Continue Reading
The tide may finally be turning in Nevada. Since the Nevada Supreme Court dealt a devastating blow to the whole of the financial services industry in September 2014 by holding that an HOA could foreclose on its super-priority lien and thereby extinguish a first deed of trust, first lien holders have been battling to protect … Continue Reading
