From the WSJ: Banks Float $5 Billion Deal to End Foreclosure Probe
The nation's biggest banks are willing to pay as much as $5 billion to settle claims by federal and state officials of improper mortgage-servicing practices, according to people familiar with the situation.Didn't the banks say no one was "wronged" in the foreclosure process?
Such an offer is considerably less than the amounts sought by state and federal officials, some of whom are asking for more than $20 billion in penalties.
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The banks intend to propose that as much as $5 billion be used to compensate any borrowers previously wronged in the foreclosure process and provide transition assistance for borrowers who are ousted from their homes, according to people familiar with the matter. One idea is that foreclosed borrowers could receive several months of free rent once they find new housing, one of these people said.
Earlier:
• NFIB: Small Business Optimism Index declined in April
• CoreLogic: House Prices declined 1.5% in March, Prices now 4.6% below 2009 Lows
• Real CoreLogic House Price Index, and Price-to-Rent Ratio, back to 1999 Levels