Law Firm, Mortgage Company, Real Estate Broker To Pay $700K Fine In Alleged Connecticut Kickback Racket

From the Connecticut Attorney General's office:

• Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, Insurance Commissioner Thomas R. Sullivan and Department of Consumer Protection (DCP) Commissioner Jerry Farrell, Jr. [recently] announced that a law firm, mortgage company and real estate broker will pay $700,000 in fines, forfeitures and restitution to settle allegations they engaged in illegal kickback and inducement schemes. Paying the $700,000 are the law firm Reiner, Reiner & Bendett, P.C., of Farmington, Absolute Mortgage Solutions, LLC, of East Hartford and Access America, LCC, DBA Century 21 Access America of Wethersfield. Of the money, $125,000 will pay restitution to about 500 Absolute consumers who overpaid for certain mortgage-related services as a result of one of the schemes.

***

• "This law firm used service and other sham contracts to camouflage kickbacks and sidetrack state law," Blumenthal said. "Consumers were overcharged because of this underhanded scheme. Reiner and Absolute conspired to conceal illegal payments as fake fees, secretly forcing consumers to cover the cost of kickbacks. The law firm hid illicit payments to Access in phony 'marketing' and 'rental' agreements. These steering schemes increased consumers' costs and denied choice, while unjustly enriching the lawbreakers.

For more, see Connecticut AG Press Release - Attorney General, Consumer Protection, Insurance Dept Announce $700,000 Settlement In Alleged Title Insurance Kickback Scheme.

Go here for other posts involving legal issues related to title insurance. title insurance legal issues