Tag Archives: Attorneys & Title Companies

GFI Mortgage Bankers filed a motion Friday to dismiss a suit from the Justice Department that alleged discrimination in GFI's lending practices. GFI's motion asserts that the disparate impact discrimination statutes cited by the Justice Department in its suit - the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act - do not contain language that permits anti-discrimination claims. The company also argues that the practice of allowing employees discretion when pricing loans is standard policy and widely accepted in the industry.

Consumer spending grew just 0.3 percent in April, up slightly from 0.2 percent in March, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported Friday. Economists had expected spending to be up 0.3 percent. At the same time, personal income grew 0.2 percent in April, BEA said, compared with market expectations of a 0.

The economy added just 69,000 jobs in May compared with a revised 77,000 in April down from the originally reported 115,000, the Labor Department reported Friday. The closely watched unemployment rate inched up to 8.2 percent ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô a function of an increase in the nation├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós labor force to the highest level ever. Payroll gains for March and April were revised, subtracting 11,000 from the last published numbers for March and 38,000 from the preliminary report for April. A sharp drop in construction jobs ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô 28,000 ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô led payrolls down.

After filing suit in January 2010 for predatory lending practices, the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and Shelby County have dropped charges against Wells Fargo. The two parties reached an agreement that requires the mortgage giant to commit $7.5 million to homeownership initiatives. Of the total, $4.5 million will go to down payment and home renovation assistance in amounts up to $15,000 for qualifying families and individuals. The city of Memphis and Shelby County will receive the remaining $3 million.

First time claims for unemployment insurance rose to 383,000 up from the prior week├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ós 373,000, revised up from the previously reported 370,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. Economists had expected the report would be unchanged at 370,000 initial claims.

Interthinx released its quarterly Mortgage Fraud Risk Report Wednesday, showing that the national Mortgage Fraud Risk Index has dropped below the 140 mark for the first time since 2009. The report, put together by an internal team of fraud experts at Interthinx, showed that the National Mortgage Fraud Risk Index decreased to 139, 4.3 percent down from last quarter, 3.1 percent from the first quarter of 2011, and lower than it has been since the second quarter of 2009. The number of "very high risk" metropolitan statistical areas also fell.

In what the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau called an important step in the development of our nonbank supervision program, the CFPB officially proposed a rule last week to establish procedures for the bureau's supervision of nonbank financial entities. The Dodd-Frank Act grants the CFPB authority to supervise a nonbank that "it has reasonable cause to determine is posing a risk to consumers based on complaints or other information it receives."

The Pending Home Sales Index gave back its entire March increase in April, falling to 95.5 from 101.1 one month earlier, the National Association of Realtors reported Wednesday. The March index was revised downward from the originally reported 101.4 adding to the gloomy report. Economists had expected the Index to increase 0.5 percent from March. Even with the decline though, the index is up 14.4 percent since April 2011, but is now at its lowest level since December, dampening expectations.

The Case Shiller Home Price Indexes fell for the seventh straight month in March. The drop in the broader 20-city index was barely noticeable ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô down to 134.10 from 134.14 in February ├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔé¼┼ô while the 10-city index fell to 146.61 from 146.74. Year-over-year, the 10-city index was down 2.8 percent and the 20-city index off 2.6 percent, improving from February. Economists had expected the 20-city index to show a 2.7 percent year-over-year decline. Separately, the national Case Shiller Index, reported quarterly, was down 2.0 percent in the first quarter.

The Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Quicken Loans, Inc., Thursday, in a case that bars lenders from splitting settlement fees with third parties. The decision upholds an interpretation of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act that gives lenders leeway when it comes to charging fees. It rejects a longstanding HUD policy that interpreted the law to include a flat ban on unearned fees. Much of the contention surrounded previous guidance issued by HUD supporting the view that the legal framework prohibits lenders from charging unearned fees.