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
The Ninth Circuit case United States ex rel. Thrower v. Academy Mortgage Corp. provides mortgage lenders, servicers, and other entities submitting claims for payment to the federal government an important reminder of how private litigants create potential liability under the False Claims Act (FCA), even when the government shows little initiative to proceed (or, in
On April 22, 2026, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule amending Regulation B – the implementing regulation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA). Building on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) issued on November 13, 2025, the final rule addresses three principal areas: (1) It clarifies that ECOA does not
On March 13, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Promoting Access to Mortgage Credit,” directing federal financial regulators to consider a broad set of revisions to the mortgage regulatory framework. The order is the most comprehensive signal to date that the administration intends to revisit core elements of the post-Dodd-Frank compliance
Following the Supreme Court’s decision in McLaughlin Chiropractic Associates v. McKesson Corp., which we discussed last year in depth, federal courts have gained the ability to deviate from the Federal Communications Commission’s interpretations of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). Last week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued what may be the most
This past year, the False Claims Act (FCA) continued to be a key tool for the Justice Department and whistleblowers to bring suits against companies, including those in the financial services sector. With over $6.8 billion in FCA recoveries this year, the highest mark yet, more cases were filed this year than ever before. Despite
On February 13, 2026, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a significant order (FIN-2026-R001) granting exceptive relief to covered financial institutions from the long-standing requirement to identify and verify the beneficial owners of legal entity customers at each new account opening. While this development will be welcomed by many in the financial services industry
On January 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a proposed rule to “remove its discriminatory effects regulations and [leave] to courts questions related to interpretations of disparate impact liability under the Fair Housing Act.” The proposed rule follows President Trump’s executive orders, along with intervening Supreme Court decisions signaling
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently took concrete steps toward addressing industry concerns and uncertainty related to the Claims Without Conveyance of Title (CWCOT) foreclosure bidding process. Ultimately, mortgagees still must bid the Commissioner’s Adjusted Fair Market Value (CAFMV) at foreclosure sale to file a CWCOT claim with HUD, but pursuant
Two recent guilty pleas by former TD Bank employees — Oscar Marcel Nunez-Flores and Wilfredo Aquino — are a timely reminder that insider-enabled money laundering can defeat control frameworks if banks do not actively design for, detect, and deter employee misconduct. These cases come on the heels of TD Bank’s October 2024 criminal guilty plea