Attorney General Mark R. Herring joined with 50 other attorneys general and other federal and state agencies in securing an $86.3 million settlement with Nationstar Mortgage, the country’s fourth-largest mortgage servicer.
The settlement resolves allegations that Nationstar, which does business as “Mr. Cooper,” violated consumer protection laws during its servicing of mortgage loans.
The settlement provides restitution for a variety of harms that were identified in the investigation, including the thousands of borrowers, who had problems when their loans were transferred to Nationstar, leading to foreclosure in some circumstances.
Under the terms of the agreement, Virginia will receive more than $1.6 million in relief for at least 1,330 Virginia borrowers.
“Large mortgage servicers like Nationstar have a responsibility to make sure that they are using fair, proper mortgage servicing practices,” Herring said. “Under this agreement, Nationstar must follow new servicing standards to help make sure that it doesn’t repeat the conduct that led to improper mortgage servicing, and to provide financial relief to those Virginians who were hurt.
“My team and I remain committed to holding mortgage companies accountable when they harm homeowners with improper loan servicing, and especially when that leads to improper foreclosures.”
The consent judgment, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, provides approximately $79.2 million in relief affecting 55,814 loans nationally. It covers conduct by Nationstar occurring from Jan. 1, 2011, until Dec. 31, 2017.
The consent judgment also requires Nationstar to follow a detailed set of rules or “servicing standards” in how it handles certain mortgage loans. These servicing standards are more comprehensive than existing law and will be in place for three years starting on Jan. 1, 2021.
The settlement was signed by the attorneys general of all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Attorney General Herring and his colleagues negotiated the settlement with the state mortgage regulators and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which filed separate settlement documents.
The partners also collaborated with the U.S. Trustee Program, a component within the Department of Justice that seeks to promote the efficiency and protect the integrity of the bankruptcy system. T
he USTP is finalizing a separate agreement with Nationstar to address historical servicing issues impacting borrowers in bankruptcy.
In 2012, Nationstar began purchasing mortgage servicing portfolios from competitors and grew quickly into the nation’s largest non-bank servicer. As loan data was transferred to Nationstar, borrowers who had sought assistance with payments and loan modifications sometimes fell through the cracks, the lawsuit alleged.
Borrowers in this category will receive a guaranteed minimum payment of $840 as part of the settlement.
Other borrowers suffered damages when Nationstar failed to oversee third-party vendors hired to inspect and maintain properties owned by delinquent borrowers and improperly changed locks on their homes, the lawsuit alleged.
These borrowers will receive a guaranteed minimum payment of $250.
A settlement administrator will send a claim form to eligible borrowers in 2021. Nationstar has already provided some of the relief outlined in the settlement.
The agreement also requires Nationstar to conduct audits and provide audit results to a committee of states to ensure compliance with the settlement.
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