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Consumer Finance Insights
March 26, 2015

Massachusetts AG Obtains Judgment Against Predatory Foreclosure Rescue and Legal Services Company

On March 26, 2015, the Massachusetts Attorney General announced that it obtained a judgment of nearly $1.9 million against a Massachusetts-based financial and legal services company on the ground that the company engaged in unfair and deceptive acts and practices. According to the lawsuit, the company had tageted consumers facing financial difficulty during the foreclosure crisis and misrepresented to them that they could assist those consumers and provide certain foreclosure related services at a price below traditional and legitimate law firms and related service providers. The company allegedly defrauded consumers out of their finances, casued consumers to default on their mortgages and lose thier homes in foreclosure, and commence unnecessary bankruptcy filings. The practices included misrepresentation, the charging of unlawful advance fees, the failure to take action after receiving payment, the practicing of law without a license, and the failure to provide refunds on request. The final judgment requires the company to pay $1.2 million in restitution, $665,000 in civil penalties, and $55,000 to the state of Massachusetts in attorneys’ fees and costs.