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Violation Tracker Individual Record

Company: Metropolitan Title Company
Penalty: $150,000
Year: 2005
Date: July 7, 2005
Offense Group: competition-related offenses
Primary Offense: kickbacks and bribery
Secondary Offense: Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA)
Violation Description: The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a legal settlement with a Detroit title company for violations of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). HUD determined that Metropolitan Title Company paid real estate brokers for the use of conference rooms at rates substantially higher than their fair market value in violation of RESPA's anti-kickback provisions. While charging room rental fees does not necessarily violate RESPA, HUD found that the excessive payments made in this case were designed to disguise referral fees that the law prohibits.
Level of Government: federal
Action Type: agency action
Agency: Housing and Urban Development Department
Civil or Criminal Case: civil
Source of Data: (click here)
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Current parent company note: Parent-subsidiary relationship is current as of the most recent revision listed in the Update Log.