Category Archives: rep and warranty

The Government Giveth and It Taketh Away: The Significance of the Game Changing FHFA Lawsuits

It is no stretch to say that Friday, September 2 was the most significant day for mortgage crisis litigation since the onset of the crisis in 2007.  That Friday, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), as conservator for Fannie Mae … Continue reading →

Posted in acquisitions, Ambac, bailout, banks, Bear Stearns, BofA, bondholder actions, Complaints, contract rights, Countrywide, damages, Deutsche Bank, emc, Fannie Mae, Federal Home Loan Banks, FHFA, Freddie Mac, freeriders, Goldman Sachs, Government bailout, investors, irresponsible lending, JPMorgan, jury trials, lawsuits, lending guidelines, liabilities, litigation, litigation costs, loan files, loss causation, loss estimates, LTV, MBS, media coverage, Merrill Lynch, misrespresentation, monoline actions, mortgage fraud, motions to dismiss, negligence and recklessness, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, quinn emanuel, ratings agencies, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS, securities, securities laws, securitization, shareholder lawsuits, sole remedy, sophistication, stability, standing, statistical sampling, statutes of limitations, subpoenas, successor liability, too big to fail, Trustees, underwriting practices, Wall St., WaMu | 6 Comments

Six Challenges to Countrywide RMBS Settlement Already; Rundown Shows Pact Will Be No Easy Sell for BofA

The BofA settlement blowback has already begun.  If you’ve been following my recent posts (here and here) about the proposed Bank of America (“BofA”) settlement involving the Bank of New York (“BoNY”) and the Kathy Patrick-led investor group (the “Investor … Continue reading →

Posted in Attorneys General, Bank of New York, banks, BofA, bondholder actions, conflicts of interest, contract rights, Countrywide, Federal Home Loan Banks, FHFA, global settlement, Grais and Ellsworth, improper documentation, incentives, investigations, investors, lawsuits, lenders, liabilities, litigation, MBS, oversight, pooling agreements, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS, securities fraud, servicers, settlements, standing, statutes of limitations, subpoenas, toxic assets, Trustees | 9 Comments

Creditor Rights: Use Them All!

by Steve Ruterman, guest blogger Much of the focus of mortgage crisis-related litigation and news coverage has been directed at put-back rights as a potential source of loss mitigation for mortgage creditors, including investors and bond insurers.  However, far less … Continue reading →

Posted in auditing, banks, bondholder actions, chain of title, contract rights, due diligence firms, Event of Default, firing servicers, freeriders, guest posts, improper documentation, incentives, investors, irresponsible lending, lenders, lending guidelines, loan files, MBIA, MBS, negligence and recklessness, pooling agreements, private label MBS, putbacks, re-underwriting, rep and warranty, RMBS, robo-signers, securitization, servicer defaults, servicers, standing, The Subprime Shakeout, Trustees, underwriting practices | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

$8.5 Billion BofA Settlement of Countrywide Trusts Raises Questions for Investors on Sidelines

As more details emerge about Bank of America’s proposed $8.5 billion settlement with Kathy Patrick’s bondholder group and Bank of New York Mellon (“BoNY”) as Trustee, the deal looks even worse for Countrywide RMBS investors.  Now, it is apparent that … Continue reading →

Posted in allocation of loss, Bank of New York, banks, BlackRock, BofA, bondholder actions, chain of title, conflicts of interest, contract rights, Countrywide, damages, Federal Home Loan Banks, Federal Reserve, fiduciary duties, Freddie Mac, global settlement, Goldman Sachs, improper documentation, incentives, investors, irresponsible lending, Kathy Patrick, lawsuits, lenders, lending guidelines, liabilities, litigation, litigation costs, loss causation, loss estimates, MBS, MetLife, PIMCO, pooling agreements, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, re-underwriting, rep and warranty, repurchase, responsibility, RMBS, securities, securitization, sellers and sponsors, settlements, standing, subprime, successor liability, The Subprime Shakeout, TIAA-CREF, Trustees, underwriting practices, valuation, waiver of rights to sue, William Frey | 17 Comments

FDIC Sues LPS and CoreLogic Over Appraisal Fraud; Shows Investors Leaving Money on the Table

In another sign that the Federal Government is turning its focus towards prosecuting the securitization players who may have contributed to the Mortgage Crisis, the FDIC filed separate lawsuits against LSI Appraisal (available here) and CoreLogic (available here) earlier this … Continue reading →

Posted in allocation of loss, appraisals, causes of the crisis, Complaints, conflicts of interest, CoreLogic, FDIC, Federal Home Loan Banks, fiduciary duties, irresponsible lending, lawsuits, liabilities, loan files, loss causation, LPS, private label MBS, re-underwriting, rep and warranty, RMBS, statistical sampling, subprime, successor liability, underwriting practices, valuation, WaMu | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Compass Point to Hold Follow-Up Call on Repurchase Risks

Compass Point Research & Trading is hosting a conference call tomorrow, May 11 at 11:00 AM Eastern to discuss recent developments in mortgage repurchase litigation.  For those interested in participating, the call-in number is 877.641.0093.  Compass Point’s Jason Stewart will … Continue reading →

Posted in Compass Point, lawsuits, litigation, rep and warranty, repurchase, securitization, subprime | Leave a comment

Top Five Reasons that MBS Lawsuits Are Just Beginning

After a few quiet months in the world of mortgage crisis litigation, we have seen a flurry of activity over the last six weeks that should put to rest speculation that mortgage derivative lawsuits are winding down.  To recap these … Continue reading →

Posted in AIG, allocation of loss, Allstate, Ambac, bailout, banks, BofA, bondholder actions, broader credit crisis, CDOs, CDSs, Complaints, contract rights, Countrywide, Deutsche Bank, discovery, emc, Federal Reserve, Goldman Sachs, incentives, investigations, investors, irresponsible lending, lawsuits, lenders, liabilities, litigation, loss estimates, MBIA, MBS, misrespresentation, monoline actions, mortgage fraud, mortgage insurers, negligence and recklessness, pooling agreements, private label MBS, putbacks, quinn emanuel, rep and warranty, repurchase, SEC, securities, securities fraud, securitization, settlements, sole remedy, statistical sampling, subprime, Uncategorized, waiver of rights to sue, Wall St. | 23 Comments

Ambac Drops Bombshell Proposed Amended Complaint on JP Morgan, EMC

In a pleading filled with allegations that can only be described as shocking, Ambac has accused Bear Stearns and its former subsidiary EMC Mortgage (both now owned by JP Morgan) of a parade of horribles in its proposed amended complaint … Continue reading →

Posted in accounting fraud, Ambac, bad faith, Bear Stearns, Complaints, discovery, due diligence firms, emc, JPMorgan, monoline actions, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS, securities fraud | 12 Comments

Wells Fargo Sues EMC as Trustees Start Playing Ball with RMBS Investors; Servicers Still Holding Out

Will we look back at this point in the mortgage crisis fallout as the turning point for RMBS investors?  With the news that Wells Fargo, as securitization trustee, has sued EMC Mortgage in Delaware Chancery Court over loan files, trustee … Continue reading →

Posted in Bear Stearns, Deutsche Bank, emc, FDIC, Investor Syndicate, loan files, private label MBS, procedural hurdles, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, Trustees, WaMu, Wells Fargo | 3 Comments

Streaming Audio of Bloomberg Radio’s Hays Advantage Segment Featuring Isaac Gradman Now Available

On October 22, 2010, I appeared Bloomberg Radio’s “The Hays Advantage” with Kathleen Hays to discuss issues facing RMBS investors in litigation against originators and underwriters.  A number of readers have asked me if a recording of the interview was … Continue reading →

Posted in Bloomberg Radio, foreclosure crisis, investors, lawsuits, media coverage, putbacks, rep and warranty, repurchase, RMBS | 1 Comment