Courts

Fannie, Freddie Tax Case Dismissed
   A lawsuit filed last June in Central Florida against Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac claiming the two federally-chartered lenders improperly skipped tax payments on real estate transfers has been dismissed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
posted 2/21/13 10:10 AM  read complete story

Federal Court Blocks MERS Lawsuit
   In another decision affecting county mortgage recording fees, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas rules that individual homeowners do not have standing to sue Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems over the fees.
posted 11/2/12 11:18 AM  read complete story

Feds Sue BofA Over $1B Of Bum Loans
   Federal prosecutors sue the Bank of America alleging mortgage fraud in the bank’s handling of defective mortgages sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by subsidiary Countrywide Financial Corp.
posted 10/24/12 5:01 PM  read complete story

Hundreds Charged In Mortgage Scams
   Foreclosure rescue scams result in charges against 530 accused con artists by the Justice Department and the FBI. The scams resulted in $1 billion in losses. The Distressed Homeowner Initiative, a part of the Financial Fraud Task Force, combined the resources of Justice, FBI, HUD and the Federal Trade Commission to conduct the investigation.
posted 10/10/12 5:31 PM  read complete story

Homeless Have Right To Reclaim Property
   City officials who seize property belonging to homeless persons are responsible for preserving it so the owner has a chance to reclaim it, a federal appeals court rules. The 2-1 decision, which has implications in the states comprising the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, upholds a federal judge’s order last year allowing residents of Los Angeles’
posted 9/7/12 11:57 AM  read complete story

U.S. Bank Sued For Property Care
   Los Angeles sues U.S. Bank, alleging the bank violated federal, state and city laws regarding maintenance of 174 properties in the city
posted 7/27/12 10:52 AM  read complete story

High Court Tosses RESPA Case
   Obscured by the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act, a decision by the high court to dismiss a key challenge to the reach of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) sets the continuing controversy back indefinitely. The next move is held by the
posted 7/6/12 11:36 AM  read complete story

NJ Fair Housing Case Reaches SCOTUS
   A New Jersey township asks the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Third Circuit Court fair housing ruling that neighborhood development plans violated the Fair Housing Act.
posted 6/29/12 10:26 AM  read complete story

Texas Bank Suit Seeks Regulator Demise
   A Texas community bank and two conservative advocacy groups challenge the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The State National Bank of Big Spring, the right-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute and the 60 Plus Association -- a conservative-oriented seniors group -- contend the CFPB lacks adequate checks and
posted 6/26/12 5:41 PM  read complete story

New York Rent Control Suit Dismissed
   Confirming earlier U.S. Supreme Court decisions affirming government regulation of rental property does not constitute the taking of property under the Constitution, the high court refuses to hear a challenge to New York City’s rent-control law. The law covers nearly half of
posted 4/25/12 4:38 PM  read complete story