FTC announces charges against mortgage loan modification operation

Consumer Finance FTC Mortgages FTC Act

On January 19, the FTC issued a press release announcing charges against a mortgage loan modification operation for allegedly violating the FTC Act and the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule by making false promises to consumers for services designed to prevent foreclosures or reduce interest rates or monthly mortgage payments. According to the charges, the defendants contacted consumers using doctored government logos on correspondence, which misrepresented an affiliation with the government’s Making Home Affordable loan modification program. Additionally, the defendants allegedly made unlawful claims that they had “special relationships with particular lenders” and instructed consumers to stop paying their mortgages without actually obtaining the promised loan modifications. As alleged by the FTC, this resulted in many consumers paying substantial interest charges, incurring penalties for paying the defendants rather than making mortgage payments, and in some instances, losing their homes to foreclosure. On January 10, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada temporarily restrained and enjoined the defendants’ alleged illegal practices and froze their assets at the request of the FTC.