Banking Misconduct Blog

Appeals Court Rules that Illegal Activity Must Continue at Least One Year to Establish Racketeering
How long must illegal behavior continue before it becomes racketeering? A federal appeals court in Philadelphia recently answered that question in an alleged Ponzi scheme case.
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We are no fans of special servicers. At the top of our list of bad commercial loan servicers are CWCapital Asset Management (“CW Capital”) and LNR Partners. We have litigated complex CMBS cases against both companies, something few lawyers have done. Because our practice is so unique,...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has just finalized a rule which will further protect consumers from serial violators like the infamous subprime mortgage servicing giant OCWEN. Under the new rule, banks and financial companies will no longer be allowed to use agreements that prevent...

State Farm claims to be the nation’s number one insurer. According to its website, the company promises to deliver the value customer’s expect from the industry’s leader. Evidently, that bar is quite low. In 1999, a trial court ruled against State Farm and ordered the insurance...

Want to cause a banker to shudder with fear? Mention the word RICO. Short for the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, RICO is one of the most potent weapons against corrupt banks and bankers. A recent lawsuit against PNC Bank alleging the bank violated truth in lending and...

A long running battle between consumers and Zions First National Bank came one step closer to resolution this week. The bank and two of its subsidiaries agreed to pay $37.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). The suit claimed that...

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) was originally intended as a criminal statute. Congress wanted to arm prosecutors with a new law to address criminal conspiracies involving gangs and organized crime. A last minute amendment allowed private litigants to use the law in...

A class action lawsuit filed under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) last month claims Marriott’s “Vacation Club” timeshare program is actually an illegal racketeering scheme. A couple from Shelbyville, Indiana say they were duped into thinking they...

A Vermont federal court judge refused to toss a RICO claim filed against the Chippewa Cree payday lender, Plain Green LLC. The court also refused to enforce a loan provision that prevented borrowers from filing lawsuits or making class action claims. The payday lender unsuccessfully argued that...

Congress enacted the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) as a response to organized crime and biker gangs. A few decades later and this powerful statute is now mostly used by savvy private litigants seeking redress for a wide variety of fraud claims. This month a group of...