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What was the National Mortgage Settlement?

In February 2012, 49 state attorneys general, the District of Columbia, and the federal government entered into the largest consumer financial protection settlement in U.S. history with what were then the nation’s five largest mortgage servicers.

The agreement settled state and federal claims against Ally/GMAC, Bank of America, Citi, JP Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo that they routinely signed foreclosure related documents without knowing if they were correct, a practice referred to at the time as “Robo-signing.” The settlement provided over $50 billion in relief to distressed borrowers harmed by the wrongful foreclosures and direct payments to the states and the federal government. The settlement included relief to servicemembers who were wrongfully foreclosed upon or charged higher interest rates in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act, or forced to sell their home at loss due to Permanent Change of Station (PSC) orders. Similar settlements were later made with HSBC, Ocwen and Suntrust. The CFPB was a party to these later settlements.

The payments owed by servicers to consumers under these settlements were administered by an independent monitor. As of December 31, 2016 the monitor reported that all eligible consumers had received claim checks with the exception of some HSBC customers whose claim checks will be mailed in early 2017.

For information about the National Mortgage Settlement, visit www.nationalmortgagesettlement.com .

If you’re having trouble paying your mortgage, contact the CFPB at (855) 411-2372 to be connected to HUD-approved housing counseling agency. If you’re having an issue with your mortgage, you can submit a complaint with the CFPB.