12 C.F.R. § 1015.3

Prohibited representations

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It is a violation of this rule for any mortgage assistance relief service provider to engage in the following conduct:

(a) Representing, expressly or by implication, in connection with the advertising, marketing, promotion, offering for sale, sale, or performance of any mortgage assistance relief service, that a consumer cannot or should not contact or communicate with his or her lender or servicer.

(b) Misrepresenting, expressly or by implication, any material aspect of any mortgage assistance relief service, including but not limited to:

(1) The likelihood of negotiating, obtaining, or arranging any represented service or result, such as those set forth in the definition of Mortgage Assistance Relief Service in § 1015.2;

(2) The amount of time it will take the mortgage assistance relief service provider to accomplish any represented service or result, such as those set forth in the definition of Mortgage Assistance Relief Service in § 1015.2;

(3) That a mortgage assistance relief service is affiliated with, endorsed or approved by, or otherwise associated with:

(i) The United States government,

(ii) Any governmental homeowner assistance plan,

(iii) Any Federal, State, or local government agency, unit, or department,

(iv) Any nonprofit housing counselor agency or program,

(v) The maker, holder, or servicer of the consumer's dwelling loan, or

(vi) Any other individual, entity, or program;

(4) The consumer's obligation to make scheduled periodic payments or any other payments pursuant to the terms of the consumer's dwelling loan;

(5) The terms or conditions of the consumer's dwelling loan, including but not limited to the amount of debt owed;

(6) The terms or conditions of any refund, cancellation, exchange, or repurchase policy for a mortgage assistance relief service, including but not limited to the likelihood of obtaining a full or partial refund, or the circumstances in which a full or partial refund will be granted, for a mortgage assistance relief service;

(7) That the mortgage assistance relief service provider has completed the represented services or has a right to claim, demand, charge, collect, or receive payment or other consideration;

(8) That the consumer will receive legal representation;

(9) The availability, performance, cost, or characteristics of any alternative to for-profit mortgage assistance relief services through which the consumer can obtain mortgage assistance relief, including negotiating directly with the dwelling loan holder or servicer, or using any nonprofit housing counselor agency or program;

(10) The amount of money or the percentage of the debt amount that a consumer may save by using the mortgage assistance relief service;

(11) The total cost to purchase the mortgage assistance relief service; or

(12) The terms, conditions, or limitations of any offer of mortgage assistance relief the provider obtains from the consumer's dwelling loan holder or servicer, including the time period in which the consumer must decide to accept the offer;

(c) Making a representation, expressly or by implication, about the benefits, performance, or efficacy of any mortgage assistance relief service unless, at the time such representation is made, the provider possesses and relies upon competent and reliable evidence that substantiates that the representation is true. For the purposes of this paragraph, competent and reliable evidence means tests, analyses, research, studies, or other evidence based on the expertise of professionals in the relevant area, that have been conducted and evaluated in an objective manner by individuals qualified to do so, using procedures generally accepted in the profession to yield accurate and reliable results.

Notes of Decisions
Cited in 10 cases (2 in the last 5 years), 2014–2021 · leading case: CFPB v. Consum. First Legal Grp., LL, 6 F.4th 694 (7th Cir. 2021).
CFPB v. Consum. First Legal Grp., LL, 6 F.4th 694 (7th Cir. 2021). · cites it 5× “See 12 C.F.R. §§ 1015.3 , 1015.5. The rule also addressed the role of attorneys.”
Fed. Trade Comm'n v. Lanier Law, LLC, 194 F. Supp. 3d 1238 (M.D. Fla. 2016). · cites it 3× “Counts III, IV, & V-Regulation O, 12 C.F.R. §§ 1015.3 , 1015.4, 1015.5 Counts III, IV and V of the Amended Complaint are premised on violations of 16 C.”
Fed. Trade Comm'n v. E.M.A. Nationwide, Inc., 767 F.3d 611 (6th Cir. 2014). “” 12 C.F.R. §§ 1015.3 ,1015.5. Additionally, as the district court properly recognized, mortgage assistance relief service providers must make disclosures that they are “not associated with the government, .”
Consum. Fin. Prot. Bureau v. RD Legal Funding, LLC, 332 F. Supp. 3d 729 (S.D. Ill. 2018). “(citing 12 C.F.R. § 1015.3 (b)(2) ). Given that Defendants target individuals who may be suffering financial hardship due to delays in payment of their settlement award, representations regarding the timing of procuring settlement award payments would undoubtedly be material to…”
Consum. Fin. Prot. Bureau v. Mortg. Law Grp., LLP, 196 F. Supp. 3d 920 (W.D. Wis. 2016). · cites it 6× “2) Whether the television and internet advertisements placed by third parties on behalf of the companies contained misrepresentations that consumers would receive legal services and obtain a loan modification in violation of 12 C.F.R. §§ 1015.3 (b)(1) and (8). 3) Whether the…”
Consum. Fin. Prot. Bureau v. Mortg. Law Grp., LLP, 157 F. Supp. 3d 813 (W.D. Wis. 2016). “§§ 5531 and *828 5536, and Regulation 0, 12 C.F.R. §§ 1015.3 (a) and (b), 1015.4(b)(1) and 1015.”
Fed. Trade Comm'n v. Lake, 181 F. Supp. 3d 692 (C.D. Cal. 2016). “”) Second, they made material misrepresentations to their clients in violation of 12 C.F.R. § 1015.3 , particularly regarding government affiliation, the terms of their modifications, and the nature of their trial payments.”
Consum. Fin. Prot. Bureau v. Mortg. Law Grp., LLP, 366 F. Supp. 3d 1039 (W.D. Wis. 2018). · cites it 6× “Defendants CFLG II, Aleman, and Searns violated 12 C.F.R. § 1015.3 (a) in the manner outlined in this opinion and are subject to civil penalties for reckless violations in association with misrepresentations in the welcome letter and strict liability for off-script…”
Consum. Fin. Prot. Bureau v. The Mortg. Law Grp., LLP (W.D. Wis. 2019). · cites it 5× “5(a); and (2) CFLG II, Aleman, and Searns for off-script misrepresentations made by intake specialists in violation of 12 C.F.R. § 1015.3 (a). (Dkt. #409 at 23-24, 34.”
Fed. Trade Comm'n v. Lake (Bankr. C.D. Cal. 2021). “Proof of the first element, in turn, requires proof that (a) a service provider 24 received an advance fee, (b) such person made material misrepresentations to their 25 clients in violation of 12 C.F.R. § 1015.3 , and (c) such person failed to make mandatory 26 disclosures under…”
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