Mortgage Concepts is a recurring video series covering best practices and compliance education for California mortgage loan originators. This video discusses deceptive practices under Regulation O. For course credit toward renewing your NMLS license, visit firsttuesday.us.

Regulation O enacts the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services rule — or MARS rule for short. This regulation bans deceptive practices by mortgage assistance relief service providers that may mislead consumers.

Because Regulation O promotes transparency in lending, service providers may not recommend against or prohibit consumers from communicating with their lenders or servicers. This is true for any advertisements, marketing, promotions, sales, or performance of relief services. [12 CFR §1015.3(a)]

Regulation O also prohibits misconstruing any aspect or feature of mortgage assistance relief services — implicitly or explicitly. Common violations include misrepresenting:

  • the chances of negotiating, receiving or arranging a mortgage assistance relief service or result;
  • the timeframe needed for the service or result;
  • leading the consumer to believe a service is affiliated with or affirmed by:
    • the U.S. government;
    • any governmental homeowner assistance plan;
    • any federal, state or local government agency;
    • any nonprofit housing counseling agency;
    • the maker, holder or servicer of the consumer’s mortgage; or
    • any other individual, entity or program. [12 CFR §1015.3(b)]     

Mortgage assistance relief service providers are also prohibited from misrepresenting the consumer’s mortgage terms and conditions. This includes the consumer’s

  • duty to make payments per their mortgage terms; and
  • their total debt.

Regulation O prohibits service providers from misleading consumers on their own services, such as:

  • the terms or conditions of any refund, cancellation exchange or repurchase policy for relief services — such as the chances of getting a refund, or the circumstances in which one will be granted
  • that the provider has completed the services, or has a right to claim payment or other consideration;
  • the amount of money or the percentage of the debt amount that a consumer could save;
  • the total cost of the service; and
  • the terms, conditions, or restrictions of any relief offer the provider obtains from the mortgage holder or servicer – this includes the amount of time the consumer has to accept.

Further, service providers may not mislead consumers on their alternative options. Regulation O prohibits misrepresenting

  • the availability, performance, cost or features of any substitute to for-profit mortgage assistance relief services, including direct negotiation with the mortgage holder or servicer, or using a nonprofit housing counseling agency; and
  • that the consumer is entitled to legal representation. [12 CFR §1015.3(b)]

To keep providers in compliance, Regulation O requires proof of honest representation. Mortgage assistance relief service providers must provide evidence to substantiate all of the services they claim to offer. Claiming services or features and capabilities of those services exist when they do not is unlawful, as is their misrepresentation. Evidence for services includes:

  • tests;
  • analyses;
  • research;
  • studies; or
  • other evidence based on the knowledge of professionals in a relevant field. [12 CFR §1015.3(c)]