Category Archives: litigation

Midwinter Conference Sparks Lively Discourse, Focuses on Servicing Deficiencies

I just returned from my first Midwinter Housing Finance Conference in Park City, Utah.  Though the conference, organized by Brian Hershkowitz, has been an annual favorite of snow-loving housing professionals for decades, it tends to receive far less publicity than … Continue reading →

Posted in ASF, conflicts of interest, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, incentives, investors, litigation, Midwinter Conference, Presentations, Winding Down GSES | 1 Comment

Recording Of Compass Point Mortgage Repurchase Call Available

We had a great turnout for the Compass Point call today on mortgage repurchase liability and I thought the questions and remarks of the various participants were interesting and informative.  For those of you who missed the call, you can … Continue reading →

Posted in Compass Point, irresponsible lending, liabilities, litigation, public perceptions, rep and warranty, repurchase, reserve reporting | 3 Comments

SEC Demands More Disclosure From JP Morgan on Repurchase Liabilities

By Manal Mehta, Guest Blogger The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently took a much needed step towards improving the transparency of bank balance sheets, particularly when it comes to the adequacy of reserves for mortgage repurchase obligations stemming from … Continue reading →

Posted in balance sheets, BofA, Citigroup, Countrywide, Federal Home Loan Banks, guest posts, investors, JPMorgan, lawsuits, litigation, mortgage insurers, repurchase, reserve reporting, SEC | 1 Comment

Investor Syndicate At Hundreds of Billions And Growing

Heard on this Street this week: the super-secret Syndicate of MBS Investors discussed previously is gaining momentum.  A confidential source has informed me that some of the largest institutional investors in mortgage-backed securities have now joined the group, bringing the amount … Continue reading →

Posted in Countrywide, firing servicers, Investor Syndicate, investors, irresponsible lending, litigation, loan files, MBS, repurchase, servicers | 2 Comments

Class Action Lawsuit Against Goldman Over ABACUS CDO Signals Time Is Right For Investor Lawsuits

The legal news is not good if you are a lender or investment bank who participated in the creation of mortgage-backed securities (“MBS”) and other derivatives over the last few years.  But for investors who lost their shirts through their … Continue reading →

Posted in abacus, Countrywide, derivative lawsuits, Goldman Sachs, investors, litigation, MBS, SEC, securities, securities fraud, shareholder lawsuits | 3 Comments

Home Loan Bank Lawsuit May Signal Floodgates Opening For Investor Actions

As reported this week in the Wall Street Journal (article available here, with subscription), the Federal Home Loan Bank of Seattle has filed separate lawsuits against 11 different Wall Street firms, alleging that it was misled about the quality of … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Stearns, Federal Home Loan Banks, investors, irresponsible lending, lawsuits, litigation, mark-to-market accounting, RMBS, securities, securitization, servicers, underwriting practices, Wall St. | 2 Comments

Article on William Frey, Countrywide and the Servicer Safe Harbor Published in Lombard Street E-Journal

I am excited to report that FinReg21, a leading website on financial services regulation, has published a feature-length article by me, entitled Why Should Servicers Get a Safe Harbor? How One Investor’s Lawsuit Forced Bank of America to Seek Shelter … Continue reading →

Posted in consitutionality, Countrywide, FinReg 21, Greenwich Financial Services, Helping Families Save Homes, legislation, litigation, loan modifications, Servicer Safe Harbor, William Frey | Leave a comment

Grais & Ellsworth Launches ABS Investor Blog

On Monday, New York law firm Grais & Ellsworth jumped into the legal blogosphere with a new law blog on the fallout from the subprime mortgage crisis entitled “The ABS Investor Advocate.” According to named partner David Grais, the blog’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Grais and Ellsworth, Greenwich Financial Services, Helping Families Save Homes, investors, legislation, litigation, loan modifications, Servicer Safe Harbor, subprime, William Frey | Leave a comment

A.I.G. (United Guaranty) v. Countrywide Complaint Now Available

The complaint filed in federal court in Los Angeles by United Guaranty Mortgage Indemnity Co., the mortgage insurer subsidiary of A.I.G., against Countrywide Financial Corp., Countrywide Home Loans, Inc. and the Bank of New York Trust Company is posted below. … Continue reading →

Posted in AIG, allocation of loss, BofA, causes of the crisis, Complaints, Countrywide, lawsuits, litigation, loan modifications, loss causation, misrespresentation, mortgage fraud, United Guaranty | Leave a comment

A.I.G. and Countrywide Go Head-to-Head Over Mortgage Insurance Coverage

The battle of the titans has begun. As reported by Reuters on Friday, both A.I.G. and Countrywide have now sued one another over who will bear the losses on a $1 billion pool of subprime mortgage loans. Countrywide fired the … Continue reading →

Posted in AIG, allocation of loss, causes of the crisis, Countrywide, lawsuits, lenders, litigation, loss causation, misrespresentation, mortgage insurers, underwriting practices, United Guaranty | 1 Comment