Overview
Holly Spencer Bunting offers clients strategic advice related to residential mortgage banking and consumer finance, alternative mortgage products, real estate brokerage, title insurance, and fintech/proptech/insurtech products, especially on issues of federal and state regulatory compliance and enforcement. Companies turn to Holly for representation in the mortgage lending, title insurance and real estate industries on regulatory compliance matters, including matters involving the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). She reviews and analyzes existing and proposed business arrangements for compliance with state and federal requirements. Holly also defends clients subject to government audits, investigations and enforcement proceedings.
Holly assists companies in complying with the anti-kickback requirements of RESPA, including counseling clients on the creation and operation of affiliated business arrangements, reviewing proposed and existing business relationships, and drafting disclosures under Section 8 of RESPA. Mortgage companies and settlement agents seek out Holly’s advice on the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure regulations, and Holly counsels mortgage companies related to approval, origination and servicing requirements under government lending programs, including the Federal Housing Administration single-family loan program.
She conducts regulatory due diligence related to compliance with government loan origination and servicing regulations and guidelines, strategic referral arrangements and alliances under RESPA, development of alternative mortgage products and associated regulatory risks, compliance management programs, and compliance with federal consumer protection laws and state licensing requirements. Companies enlist Holly for defense in government enforcement proceedings, including, among others, RESPA enforcement matters, FHA and VA audits and CFPB investigations.
Areas of Focus
Experience
Advised:
- Mortgage lenders, banks, real estate brokerage companies, home builders, title insurance agencies, title insurance underwriters, fintech/proptech/insurtech companies, technology vendors, and other companies in interpreting and applying statutory and regulatory requirements and administrative guidance pertaining to RESPA’s anti-kickback and fee-splitting provisions in connection with a wide variety of settlement service arrangements, including marketing, advertising, and affiliated business arrangements.
- Fintechs, financial institutions, issuers, and investors in connection with federal and state regulatory considerations related to the development and offering of, and investment in, home equity option products, including drafting of consumer disclosures and program agreements, preparing risk disclosures for offering documents, assessing state and federal consumer financial regulatory risks, and advising on unique and innovative product structures and features.
- A loan origination system provider on compliance with the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure regulations in the programming of Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure forms.
- Clients in connection with investigations under the False Claims Act related to origination and underwriting of Federal Housing Administration-insured loans.
- Clients in defending allegations made by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau related to the operation of affiliated business arrangements, advertising for government-insured lending and other consumer protection issues.
Holly has also:
- Drafted and reviewed affiliated business, advertising services, rental, co-advertising, data sharing and other services agreements for regulatory compliance under RESPA.
- Performed regulatory diligence for fintech and iBuyer companies related to acquisition of mortgage, title insurance, escrow, real estate, and general contractor businesses, as well as the structuring of cash-offer products.
- Provided regulatory compliance support to single-family rental companies and companies offering co-equity products related to federal consumer protection laws, state licensing, formation of affiliated mortgage and title insurance businesses, and review of intercompany service agreements.
- Prepared compliance management programs for lenders, fintechs and proptech companies, including policies on compliance department structure and lines of review, tracking federal laws, updating policies and procedures, employee compliance training, vendor management, and internal audit functions.
- Created a comprehensive catalog of origination and servicing requirements applicable to FHA-insured loans for a national mortgage lender.
- Performed regulatory due diligence of mortgage company policies and procedures related to Federal Housing Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and US Department of Agriculture lending programs, as well as compliance with federal and state consumer protection requirements.
- Led training sessions on compliance issues selected by clients for Boards of Directors, Legal and Compliance teams, and business units responsible for activities with material compliance risk.
Perspectives
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Summer 2023
Events
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October 122023
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April 082021
The Other Required Use - ABAs v. RESPA Section 9
RESPRO -
March 032021
News
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October 102023
RESPA enforcement is back — are you ready?
HousingWire -
June 222023
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April 242023
Education
American University Washington College of Law, JD, cum laude
Note & Comment Editor, American University Law Review
University of North Carolina at Asheville, BA, summa cum laude
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- North Carolina
Activities
- Women in Housing & Finance, Inc.
- North Carolina Bar Association
- University of North Carolina at Asheville Foundation Board
- Published articles related to RESPA and FHA issues in industry publications
- A regular speaker at webinars and mortgage and title insurance industry events
- “40 Under 40” 2019 honoree by the Women in Housing & Finance, Inc.