Residential Mortgage GM named 2010 RESPRO chair

Kevin Breeland, general manager of Residential Mortgage of South Carolina LLP, has been elected 2010 chairman of the Real Estate Services Providers Council Inc.’s board of directors. Read on for the details.

RESPA experts offer ways to bridge lender-title agent gaps

In a recent Webinar hosted by The Title Report , a sister publication of RESPA News , titled “Bridging the RESPA Gap,” panelists spanning the lending and title industries offered insight into how...

Judge denies excessive fee claims previously considered in bankruptcy cases

A Louisiana federal judge dismissed a class action complaint against a major lender, ruling that the plaintiffs' excessive broker price opinion fee claims are barred by the doctrine of res judicata . Read...

Attorney's top 10 list showcases current trends of RESPA forms

At a legislative and regulatory conference in Washington, D.C., mortgage brokers heard one of the nation's top RESPA attorneys present the most notable points of the new RESPA forms, current trends that have...

“Civil...liability is provided for violating the prohibition against kickbacks and unearned fees, including civil liability to the parties affected equal to three times the amount of any charge paid for such settlement service."

RESPRO creates RESPA model agreements for loan originators

The Real Estate Services Providers Council Inc. has developed a model GFE cost indemnification agreement and model services agreement for its members to use in connection with the new GFE. RESPRO is recommending...

Arizona federal court says RESPA claim, FHA claim are valid

A judge from the U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, issued a court ruling in the case of Cesar Silvas v. GMAC Mortgage LLC , allowing the plaintiff to proceed on one...

Financial regulatory reform bill ready for Senate debate

Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., introduced for the second time a massive bill to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs that would overhaul the entire financial regulatory structure and create a...

Woman’s silence on refusal to sign deed haunts her in bankruptcy court

A North Dakota woman who was to borrow from the seller some of the financing for the apartment complex she was buying may have caused additional problems for herself. Read on to...

House passes energy bill minus home energy labeling requirement

The National Association of Realtors is considering it a victory that The U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act without the provision that would have required Energy Star...

National homebuilder settles with U.S., state entities for millions

Beazer Homes USA Inc. said it has been cooperating with government authorities and reached a deal to settle in the wake of allegations against the company. Read on to learn more about...

Agent protests court’s decision to give answering, non-answering buyers same judgment FREE

A real estate agent who sued buyers to try to recoup lost commission fought to prove that the non-answering defendant shouldn’t be entitled to the same judgment as the defendant who did answer...

The great short sale debate

The number of distressed properties remains high, prompting many real estate agents to turn to short sales as an alternative to foreclosures. While some professionals say they’re not worth the hassle, others say...

No Public Funds = No Prevailing Wage

The Franklin County Court of Common Pleas recently ruled in Kimberly Zurz, Director, Ohio Department of Commerce v. 770 West Broad AGA, LLC that the prevailing wage requirements, which are codified in Ohio...

Ohio Courts Reject Legal Basis for Surety Bad Faith Claims by Principals, Obligees, and - Potentially - Claimants

Originally published in "Fidelity & Surety Law Committee Newsletter" by ABA (Winter 2010) In 1984 the Ohio Supreme Court became one of the first courts to articulate what at first blush appeared to...