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HUD sued over alleged failure to refund mortgage insurance premiums

Housing Wire

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is being sued in federal court over accusations that it failed to refund nearly $385 million in mortgage insurance premiums (MIP) to borrowers over a period of more than two decades. ” This is a developing story.

Insurance 479
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ALTA: Protecting property rights with title insurance

Housing Wire

For most real estate industry professionals, title insurance needs no introduction. A trusted product , title insurance has been used to protect real estate transactions and property rights for over a century. Title insurance is different than most other insurance products. Diane Tomb, ALTA CEO Contributor.

Insurance 473
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Opinion: Two legal issues relevant to FHFA’s review of FHLB system

Housing Wire

This article addresses two legal issues relevant to the review: FHFA’s statutory authority to reduce the number of Federal Home Loan Banks, and The application of the FHLBank statutory “super lien”. This provision may be challenged by the affected FHLBank under legal process. Short-term advances are not so restricted.

Legal 370
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Title insurers reckon with attorney opinion letters

Housing Wire

Prior to the advent and widespread use of title insurance, before taking title to a property, the buyer required that the title be free of any rights, interests, liens or encumbrances of others for which the buyer would be responsible for. We haven’t seen any real data based on the conversation that it is going to save money.

Insurance 396
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Homebuyers have many options; let’s make sure they’re aware of them

Housing Wire

One of the most important roles we play at ALTA is strongly encouraging buyers to shop around for their title insurance company. The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) ensures that homebuyers always have the legal right to consider alternative title insurance providers and can never be forced into using a particular provider.

Insurance 500
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FDIC finds banks violated RESPA on mortgage brokerage payments

Housing Wire

Mortgage brokers ’ compensation is in the spotlight after a recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) test concluded that some financial institutions failed to prove that payments were “reasonably related” to the value of services provided.

Brokerage 421
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Crisis management in real estate: 8 tips for handling difficult situations

Housing Wire

As with establishing effective communication expectations early on, developing a crisis management plan before you need it will allow you to effectively deal with unexpected problems. Legal disputes. Many difficult situations involve legal and regulatory compliance in contract disputes, zoning violations, or tenant rights.