Are you currently facing foreclosure, or was your home foreclosed on as a result of actions taken by Wells Fargo? If so, it is critical to learn more about recent actions taken by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) against the bank for unlawful acts, including wrongful foreclosures. Last month, the CFPB announced in a news release that it was ordering Wells Fargo “to pay more than $2 billion to redress consumers and a $1.7 billion civil penalty for legal violations across several of its largest product lines.” Indeed, according to the news release, “the bank’s illegal conduct led to billions of dollars in financial harm to its customers and, for thousands of customers, the loss of their vehicles and homes.” Our Oak Park foreclosure defense lawyers want to provide you with more information about the recent action taken against Wells Fargo and the specific issue of wrongful foreclosures.
Wrongful Fees and Misapplication of Payments
How did Wells Fargo’s actions result in wrongful foreclosures? As the news release from the CFPB explains, “consumers were illegally assessed fees and interest charges on auto and mortgage loans, had their cars wrongly repossessed, and had payments to auto and mortgage loans misapplied by the bank.” In other words, foreclosures resulted from homeowners being improperly charged fees and interest that they could not pay and from homeowners’ mortgage payments being improperly applied to their mortgage debt.
In addition to misapplying payments and charging unlawful interest or fees, Wells Fargo was also cited for improperly denying mortgage modifications to homeowners, which could have prevented foreclosures in some cases. The CFPB’s news announcement specifically notes that the bank’s improper denial of modifications—a number in the thousands—led, in some cases, “to Wells Fargo customers losing their homes to wrongful foreclosures.”
CFPB Enforcement Action
According to CFPB Director Rohit Chopra, “Wells Fargo’s rinse-repeat cycle of violating the law has harmed millions of families . . . . The CFPB is ordering Wells Fargo to refund billions of dollars to consumers across the country. This is an important initial step for accountability and long-term reform of this repeat offender.”
In order to remedy the variety of improper and unlawful actions taken by Wells Fargo, the CFPB has taken a series of enforcement actions. Not only will the bank be required to pay more than $2 billion, but it will also need to pay penalties and change the process for assessing certain types of fees.
Contact an Oak Park Foreclosure Defense Lawyer Today
If you are facing foreclosure, you should get in touch with an experienced Oak Park foreclosure defense attorney who can discuss your options with you. Depending upon your circumstances, you could be eligible to consider a short sale, a deed in lieu of foreclosure, and other options. If you faced an unlawful foreclosure, or if you believe you are currently facing an unlawful foreclosure like those discussed above, our firm is also able to assess your case and provide you with more information about your options. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our firm to find out more about how we can help. Contact the Emerson Law Firm today.
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