Federal regulators have reached agreements with the nation’s largest mortgage providers to address fraudulent practices in loans and foreclosures. The deals call for compensating borrowers who suffered financial harm, but no details have been worked out. Companies would also be forced to provide a single point of contact for borrowers and would not be able to foreclose on those whose loans are modified. But no concrete financial penalties would be immediately imposed, and no companies would be forced to reduce borrowers’ mortgage debt. Government officials say the deal would not undermine a separate attempt by the attorneys general from all 50 states to reach a financial settlement from lenders for submitting fraudulent documents to force thousands of people out of their homes. In a statement, Democratic Rep. Maxine Waters of California called the deals “disappointing—but not surprising—given the history of our nation’s banking regulators.”
