The United States District Court for the District of New Jersey ruled in favor of a debt collector in Martinez v. Diversified Consultants, Inc., granting a motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ class claims regarding a collection letter that contained the collector’s phone number.

Plaintiff Waleska Martinez alleged violations of Section 1692g of the Fair

2018 was a busy year in the consumer financial services world. As we navigate the continuing heavy volume of regulatory change and forthcoming developments from the Trump administration, Troutman Sanders is uniquely positioned to help its clients successfully resolve problems and stay ahead of the compliance curve.  

In this report, we share developments on

The United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has issued an opinion that sheds light on whether foreclosure proceedings constitute debt collection.  In Scott v. Trott Law, P.C., the Court held that under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, a debt collector had a duty to ensure that foreclosure proceedings were stopped

In a recent opinion, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently confirmed that an original mortgage lender cannot be held vicariously liable for violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) regulations pertaining to loss mitigation allegedly committed by a loan servicer.

In defense to a Texas

Pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(2), a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan cannot modify the rights of a secured creditor whose claim is only secured by an “interest in real property that is the debtor’s principal residence.”  On December 6, the Eleventh Circuit held that this provision prevents the discharge of a mortgage in a Chapter

In the home mortgage industry, loans insured by the Fair Housing Authority (“FHA”) come with statutory prerequisites that are embedded in the loan contracts and that must be followed prior to foreclosure.  One such obligation put forth by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) is the “face-to-face meeting” requirement.  This meeting, however, is

On December 17, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York ruled in favor of a debt collector in Taubenfliegel v. Miller & Milone, P.C., granting a motion for summary judgment regarding the naming of the creditor in a collection letter.

Plaintiff Elizabeth Taubenfliegel alleged violations of Section 1692g of

In a third-party complaint captioned as Avery Patrick v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., 2018 WL 6613737, Docket No. A-2270-17T3 (App. Div. Dec. 18, 2018), a residential mortgage loan borrower, Avery Patrick, appealed an order of summary judgment rendered by the Superior Court, Middlesex County, Law Division, dismissing his common law tort claim for trespass

A wave of lawsuits filed under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, especially in the Second Circuit, continues regarding disclosures of interest and fees in collection letters.  Consumers have complained about failure to warn of interest and fees continuing to accrue, as well as failure to disclose that interest and fees did not accrue.  The

On November 21, in Sweely Holdings LLC v. SunTrust Bank et al., the Supreme Court of Virginia issued an opinion that is beneficial to the mortgage industry in Virginia because it upheld a bank’s right to foreclose, even if it could have pursued other options under a forbearance agreement.  In doing so, the Court