Rocket Homes Real Estate LLC, dba Rocket Homes; JMG Holding Partners LLC, dba The Jason Mitchell Group; 45 real estate brokerage affiliates; and Jason Mitchell
On December 23, 2024, the Bureau filed a lawsuit against Rocket Homes Real Estate, LLC, doing business as Rocket Homes, JMG Holding Partners LLC, doing business as The Jason Mitchell Group, 45 of its affiliates (collectively, The Mitchell Group), and Jason Mitchell, the majority owner and Chief Executive Officer of The Mitchell Group. Rocket Homes, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, is a state-licensed real estate brokerage that operates a large referral network, matching consumers interested in buying a home with a real estate brokerage working in the local area of the consumer’s home-buying search. Rocket Mortgage, LLC, is a mortgage lender. Amrock LLC is a title, closing, and escrow services company. Rocket Homes, Rocket Mortgage, and Amrock are all subsidiaries of Rocket Companies, Inc. The Jason Mitchell Group is privately held and based in Scottsdale, AZ with affiliated, licensed brokerages in 41 states and the District of Columbia. The Bureau alleges that from 2019 to 2024, Rocket Homes violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and its implementing regulation, Regulation X, by giving things of value to real estate brokerages—including referrals, the ability to continue receiving referrals, and priority for future referrals—under an express or implied agreement or understanding that the real estate brokers and agents would refer real estate settlement business involving federally-related mortgage loans to Rocket Mortgage and Amrock. For example, the Bureau alleges that Rocket Homes required that the brokers and agents receiving its referrals “preserve and protect” the relationship between the consumer and Rocket Mortgage by steering clients away from other competing lenders and preventing brokers and agents from sharing valuable information with their clients concerning products not offered by Rocket Mortgage, including the availability of down-payment-assistance programs. The Bureau further alleges that The Mitchell Group and Jason Mitchell also violated RESPA and Regulation X, by accepting things of value under such an agreement or understanding and referring thousands of clients to Rocket Mortgage and Amrock. The Bureau alleges that Jason Mitchell offered “Dog Bone” awards of $250 gift cards to the agents who made the most referrals to The Mitchell Group’s favored partners, including Rocket Mortgage and Amrock. The Bureau is seeking, among other things, to bring defendants into compliance with the law, consumer redress, and the imposition of civil money penalties.
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