REFinBlog

Editor: David Reiss
Cornell Law School

May 8, 2013

Reiss on CFPB Muscle

By David Reiss

Law360 interviewed me in CFPB Flexes Enforcement Muscle In 1st Criminal Referral (behind a paywall) regarding the prosecution of an alleged debt relief scam: unsecured personal loan rates Criminal charges filed Tuesday against a New York debt settlement firm based … Continue reading

May 7, 2013

Reiss on New Limits on Lending for Fannie and Freddie

By David Reiss

Law360 interviewed me in Fannie, Freddie Will Only Buy Qualified Mortgages, FHFA Says (behind a paywall) about the new limits on lending imposed on Fannie and Freddie: The Federal Housing Finance Agency on Monday said that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac … Continue reading

May 6, 2013

Principled Forgiveness

By David Reiss

The Congressional Budget Office issued a report, Modifying Mortgages Involving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: Options for Principal Forgiveness, that reviews where we are with principal-forgiveness loan modifications. It notes that “Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have not been allowed … Continue reading

May 2, 2013

The Weak Can Never Forgive?

By David Reiss

S&P has issued a report, Principal Forgiveness, Still The Best Way To Limit U.S. Mortgage Redefaults, Is Becoming More Prevalent, that asserts that its research “demonstrates the likelihood that servicers will recover a greater portion of their receivables through principal … Continue reading

April 29, 2013

The Servicing Field Is Wide Open

By David Reiss

The CFPB has proposed an additional comment to Regulation X to emphasize that that regulation does not preempt state regulation of mortgage servicing: Proposed comment 5(c)(1)-1 would state further that nothing in RESPA or Regulation X, including the provisions in … Continue reading

April 23, 2013

S&P Seeking Dismissal of Suit

By Gloria Liu

In the wake of the 2008 Financial Crisis, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) has been accused of inflating its ratings to win business during the boom in mortgage investments. The Justice Department brought civil fraud charges accusing S.& P of knowingly giving complex … Continue reading