InfoBytes Blog
CFPB Issues Consent Order for Steering to Real Estate Settlement Services Provider
On September 27, the CFPB issued a consent order against a real estate settlement services provider for allegedly steering consumers to a title insurer owned in part by three of its executives without disclosing its affiliated business interests, as required by RESPA. According to the consent order, the company received money “beyond the commission it would normally have been entitled to collect” due to an agreement or understanding that it would refer its business to the title insurer, but it did not make the disclosures of the affiliate relationships required by RESPA to over 7,000 consumers. The CFPB’s order requires the company to pay up to $1.25 million in redress to affected consumers and to implement policies and procedures to ensure proper disclosure of applicable referrals to consumers in the future.