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Author Archives: Derek Templeton

Derek Templeton is an attorney based in Dallas, Texas. He practices in the areas of real estate, financial services, and general corporate transactional law. His experience includes time as an Attorney Adviser for the U.S. Small Business Administration and as General Counsel for a nonprofit organization in Dallas. A self-avowed "policy junkie," he has a keen interest in the effect that evolving federal policy has on the mortgage, default servicing, and greater housing industries.

San Jose Real Estate Market Plateaus

The housing market in San Jose, California, has been cooling over time and prices have recently flattened. The trends imply a weakening market, according to Kristen Evans, an analyst for Altos Research LLC. “Despite the consistent decrease in the Market Action Index (MAI), we're in a ‘Seller's Market’ where significant demand leaves little inventory available.”

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Report Criticizes Government Treatment of Banks

A new Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) report digs into a controversial campaign by federal regulatory agencies called Operation Choke Point. In 2013, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and several other federal agencies, the Office of the Comptroller of the ...

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Bank of America Hit with $1.27 Billion Fine

On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff ordered Bank of America to pay a significant civil penalty of $1.27 billion for fraud related to poor quality mortgages sold by Countrywide Financial Corporation, which Bank of America acquired in July 2008.

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CFPB Takes Action Against Lending Scheme

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and 13 state attorneys general announced Tuesday that obtained approximately $92 million in debt relief from Colfax Capital Corporation and Culver Capital, collectively known as “Rome Finance,” for about 17,000 U.S. service members and other consumers injured by the company’s predatory lending scheme.

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Castro Sworn in, Faces New Challenges at HUD

As the newly sworn-in Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Julian Castro will need to perform a complicated balancing act to move the agency forward during the current unsteady recovery.

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Home Prices on the Rise

Black Knight Financial Services released a report showing that the national Home Price Index (HPI) improved in general throughout the month of May across 18,500 examined zip codes in the United States. Home prices are now just 11 percent off of their 2006 peak. The HPI represents the price of non-distressed sales by taking into account price discounts for REO and short sales.

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Community Organizations Work to Prevent Foreclosure

Increasingly, community organizations are getting more involved in ensuring that their citizens are able to avoid foreclosure and stay in their homes. The motivation is simple, fewer foreclosures make for more stable communities. More stable communities reduce crime and protect property values. To that end, Boston Community Capital (BCC) created the Stabilizing Urban Neighborhoods (SUN) program to allow borrowers to remain in their homes, while still achieving principal reduction and lowering their monthly payment.

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Goldman Sachs FHFA Settlement could reach $1.25 Billion

Multiple reports surfaced over the weekend that Goldman Sachs may be nearing a deal with the federal government to settle claims that it sold faulty mortgage backed securities to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, according to people with familiar with the negotiations. If a deal is reached it is expected to come in between $800 million and $1.25 billion. The talks were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

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CFPB Proposes Changes to Reporting Requirements

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is proposing a rule designed to improve the availability of access to credit. The proposed rule would update the reporting requirements contained within the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act and simplify the reporting process for financial institutions.

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