TopMortgage Compliance Update (1)
 

November 21, 2012  

 


CFPB and FTC: Warning Letters - Misleading Advertisements



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Greetings! 

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), has issued warning letters to twelve mortgage lenders and mortgage brokers advising them to remove or revise misleading advertisements. The warnings concern advertisements that target veterans, seniors, and other consumers.

Additionally, the CFPB announced that it has begun formal investigations of six companies believed to have committed more serious violations of the law.

After reviewing hundreds of mortgage advertisements, the FTC staff has also sent warning letters to twenty companies, warning them that their ads may be deceptive. The FTC sent its warning letters to real estate agents, home builders, and lead generators, urging them to review their advertisements for compliance with the Mortgage Acts and Practices Advertising Rule and the FTC Act.

The collaboration between the CFPB and the FTC are characterized as a "sweep" - a review conducted by these agencies of about 800 "randomly selected mortgage-related ads across the country, including ads for mortgage loans, refinancing, and reverse mortgages." The agencies looked at ads in newspapers, on the Internet, and from mail solicitations, and advertisements that were the subject of consumer complaints.

I really can't emphasize enough how important it is to control all the advertising your firm publishes - and I mean advertisements in any media. Just adopting a policy and procedure is insufficient.

In my view, several components must be included in advertising compliance:

-a formally adopted policy and procedure;
-an advertising manual that is signed for and attested to by the employee;
-checklists, model forms, ad formats, and authorizations;
-an easy reference guide for employees;
-periodic training;
-and auditing.

If you are not implementing at least these risk management practices, you are certainly falling short of the controls you need to manage the regulatory challenges posed in advertising of mortgage loan products.

Best wishes!
 
Jonathan Foxx
President & Managing Director
Lenders Compliance Group
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IN THIS ARTICLE
The Sweep
The Rule
The Warning
The Remedy
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Warning Letter - Misleading Advertising - Target: Consumers (CFPB)
Warning Letter - Misleading Advertising - Target: Veterans (CFPB)
Warning Letter - Misleading Advertising - Target: Consumers (FTC)

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau warn Companies against
Misleading Consumers with False Mortgage Advertisements
Press Release (11/19/12)

FTC Warns Mortgage Advertisers that Their Ads May Violate Federal Law
Press Release (11/19/12)
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