Articles Posted in TRUTH IN LENDING ACT

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New Orleans, LA — Mortgage lenders, servicers, warehouse counterparties, and title insurance operators enter the second half of 2026 facing one of the most unsettled compliance landscapes in more than a decade: a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in transition, state Attorneys General stepping into federal enforcement gaps, the NAR Settlement continuing to realign broker-lender referral economics, and a new wave of servicing, fair lending, and affiliated business arrangement activity emerging across the states. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s 2026 Legal Issues and Regulatory Compliance Conference — held May 4–7, 2026, at the InterContinental Miami — is where the industry’s senior legal and compliance leaders convene to work through exactly these issues.

Marx Sterbcow, Managing Attorney of the Sterbcow Law Group, LLC, will join a panel of leading mortgage industry attorneys and compliance executives at the 2026 conference to discuss the regulatory and enforcement forces most likely to reshape lender and settlement-provider operations through the balance of the year.

Event Details

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New Orleans, LA — Marx Sterbcow, Managing Attorney of the Sterbcow Law Group, LLC, is returning as a featured speaker at the National REO Brokers Association (“NRBA“) Annual Education Conference, being held April 22–25, 2026, at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa in Henderson, Nevada (Las Vegas area). 

At a Glance
Speaker Marx Sterbcow, Managing Attorney, Sterbcow Law Group, LLC
Session The State of the Real Estate Brokerage Industry: A 2026 Legal, Regulatory, and Market Outlook
Date & Time Thursday, April 23, 2026 — 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM PDT
Room Estancia DEFG General Session Ballroom
Event 2026 NRBA Annual Education Conference
Dates April 22–25, 2026
Venue Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa, Henderson, Nevada
Audience NRBA member brokers, asset managers, servicers, and invited default-industry clients

The NRBA’s private Annual Conference is widely regarded as the most sought-after event in the REO industry, drawing asset managers, servicers, vendor managers, and executives from the nation’s leading default-servicing firms. This year’s conference runs Wednesday through Saturday at Green Valley Ranch, and early bird registration closed on January 15, 2026.

Session Details — Thursday, April 23 at 10:00 AM

Mr. Sterbcow’s general session — “The State of the Real Estate Brokerage Industry: A 2026 Legal, Regulatory, and Market Outlook” — is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM in the Estancia DEFG ballroom, immediately following the conference’s Opening Remarks and Market Overview. Drawing on his practice at the intersection of federal regulation, state enforcement, industry litigation, and transactional advisory work, the session will provide attendees with a comprehensive briefing on where the real estate brokerage industry stands today and where it is headed over the next twelve to twenty-four months.

Topics to Be Covered

Mr. Sterbcow’s presentation will move from the macro forces reshaping the brokerage business down to the compliance and litigation realities that REO professionals will face in the year ahead — beginning with the commission-structure overhaul and industry consolidation story, moving through federal regulatory priorities under a shifting CFPB, and closing with state-level enforcement and litigation trends. Topics include:

  • NAR Settlement aftermath and its practical implications for REO listing brokers, buyer-broker compensation, and cooperating agent agreements
  • DOJ involvement in real estate commission rules and the antitrust exposure facing private trade groups, MLSs, and brokerages — including whether trade associations can continue to shield brokers from antitrust liability
  • Industry consolidation, including the regulatory and MLS-governance implications of the Compass–Anywhere merger and the market-control questions raised by a combined entity
  • CFPB regulatory outlook under the current administration, including the Bureau’s shifting enforcement priorities and the operational questions that shift creates for regulated parties
  • RESPA enforcement trends and high-risk compliance issues in 2026, including recurring Section 8 pitfalls identified through recent federal and state examinations
  • State Attorney General enforcement against affiliated business arrangements (“AfBAs”) and marketing services agreements (“MSAs”), with a focus on how several states’ AGs are reshaping the compliant-AfBA analysis under RESPA Section 8(c)(4)
  • Litigation and risk-management lessons from recent federal and state RESPA cases, with takeaways for brokerages, title agencies, and lenders operating joint ventures

About the NRBA Annual Conference

The NRBA Annual Conference is a members-only event that brings together the nation’s top-producing REO brokers with the clients and asset managers who directly assign listings. Last year’s event hosted more than 40 clients from over 30 firms, and the 2026 event is expected to exceed that. Due to overwhelming demand, the Green Valley Ranch room block sold out in advance, and the NRBA has arranged overflow accommodations at the nearby Aloft hotel.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the 2026 NRBA Annual Education Conference? The 2026 NRBA Annual Education Conference is being held April 22–25, 2026, running Wednesday through Saturday.

Where is the 2026 NRBA conference being held? The conference is at the Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa in Henderson, Nevada, in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Overflow accommodations are available at the nearby Aloft hotel.

When is Marx Sterbcow speaking at the 2026 NRBA conference? Mr. Sterbcow’s session is scheduled for Thursday, April 23, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM Pacific Time in the Estancia DEFG general session ballroom.

What is Marx Sterbcow’s 2026 NRBA session about? The session, titled “The State of the Real Estate Brokerage Industry: A 2026 Legal, Regulatory, and Market Outlook,” will provide a comprehensive briefing on the legal, regulatory, and structural forces shaping the real estate brokerage industry, including the NAR Settlement aftermath, DOJ antitrust activity, the Compass–Anywhere merger, the CFPB’s shifting enforcement priorities, RESPA compliance risks, state Attorney General enforcement of affiliated business arrangements and marketing services agreements, and key litigation trends.

Who should attend the session? The session is designed for REO listing brokers, cooperating agents, asset managers, servicers, vendor managers, title agency operators, lenders operating joint ventures, and any default-industry professional whose business is affected by federal and state real estate regulation.

Is the NRBA conference open to the public? No. The NRBA Annual Conference is a private, members-only event. For information on NRBA membership, visit nrba.com.

About Marx Sterbcow

Marx Sterbcow is the Managing Attorney of the Sterbcow Law Group, LLC. He counsels real estate brokerages, title insurance agencies, mortgage lenders, banks, and joint venture operators on the regulatory, transactional, and strategic questions that shape the real estate industry — from the structuring and compliance of affiliated business arrangements and marketing services agreements, to federal and state enforcement matters, to the legal and market implications of industry consolidation. His practice regularly places him at the intersection of RESPA, CFPB, fair lending, state Attorney General, and antitrust developments that redefine how brokerages and settlement service providers operate.

Notable Representations

Mr. Sterbcow has served as counsel or participated with the legal teams in significant federal and state regulatory enforcement matters affecting the real estate settlement industry, as well as in complex commercial and antitrust litigation. Representative matters include:

  • CFPB v. Townstone Financial, Inc. and Barry Sturner (N.D. Ill., No. 1:20-cv-04176) — Co-counsel for Townstone Financial and its founder in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s first-of-its-kind redlining and Equal Credit Opportunity Act enforcement action, a matter that proceeded through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the federal district court’s 2025 ruling on the joint motion to vacate the stipulated final judgment. The CFPB’s decision to join Townstone in seeking vacatur of its own settlement was widely reported as unprecedented in the Bureau’s history.
  • CFPB v. Rocket Homes Real Estate, JMG Holding Partners (The Jason Mitchell Group), and Jason Mitchell (E.D. Mich., No. 2:24-cv-13442) — Counsel to The Jason Mitchell Group in connection with the CFPB’s December 2024 RESPA Section 8 enforcement action, which the CFPB voluntarily dismissed with prejudice in February 2025, and in related regulatory matters.
  • In re Meridian Title Corporation (CFPB Administrative Consent Order, 2017) — Lead member of the legal team representing Meridian Title in connection with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s RESPA Section 8 enforcement action addressing affiliated business arrangement disclosures.
  • District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General v. Universal Title (D.C. OAG, 2024) — Lead and sole counsel for Universal Title in the District of Columbia Attorney General’s enforcement action involving title insurance joint ventures under D.C. Code § 31-5031.15.
  • CamSoft Data Systems, Inc. v. Southern Electronics Supply, Inc., et al. (La. 19th Jud. Dist. Ct., No. 582,741; La. 1st Cir. Ct. App.; M.D. La.) — Co-counsel for plaintiff CamSoft Data Systems, Inc. in a long-running commercial and antitrust action arising from the New Orleans Crime Camera Project and subsequent wireless surveillance technology sales, asserting claims under the Louisiana Antitrust Act (La. R.S. 51:122 et seq.) and related state-law theories against defendants including Dell, Inc., Ciber, Inc., and MMR Constructors, Inc.

Speaking, Publications, and Industry Leadership

Mr. Sterbcow is a frequent keynote speaker and panelist at national industry events, including the Real Estate Services Providers Council (RESPRO) Annual Conference, the National Settlement Services Summit (NS3), the American Land Title Association (ALTA) Large Agent Conference, the Texas Land Title Institute, and the NRBA Annual Conference. He has been recognized as a Super Lawyer and is a former President of the Louisiana Land Title Association. His commentary on RESPA, CFPB, real estate regulatory, and industry matters is regularly featured in RESPA News, HousingWire, National Mortgage News, American Banker, and other leading industry publications. Follow his ongoing analysis at the RESPA Lawyer Blog.

Past results afford no guarantee of future results. Every case is different and must be judged on its own merits. The representations described above reflect publicly available court filings, agency orders, and published reporting.

Connect With Us at the Conference

If you will be attending the NRBA conference, the Sterbcow Law Group team would be glad to connect. Please reach out in advance to schedule a meeting, and stay tuned to the RESPA Lawyer Blog for post-conference highlights and key takeaways on the issues discussed.

For more information about the NRBA conference, visit nrba.com. To learn more about the Sterbcow Law Group’s RESPA, CFPB, and affiliated business arrangement compliance services, visit respaattorneys.com or call 877-854-2182.

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Marx Sterbcow with the Sterbcow Law Group’s RESPA Law Resource Center has been invited to speak at the Real Estate Settlement Providers Organization’s “RESPRO” 26th Annual Conference in New Orleans, Louisiana on March 27, 2019 at 8:45 AM at the Ritz Carlton Hotel’s Carrollton Ballroom.  The presentation “Whither the CFPB: State Unfair Deceptive Abusive Acts Practices, Regulatory and Private Sector Compliance Issues, Activities and Requirements” will review the most recent federal and state mortgage, title insurance, and real estate brokerage regulatory actions.”  The session will discuss how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and various state mortgage and title insurance regulatory agencies are interpreting UDAAP/RESPA.  The session will also discuss what compliance expectations the CFPB’s Enforcement division will have when a company is under investigation and the general outlook of what is going on or not going on at the CFPB.  The presentation will hit on issues involving private sector mortgage lending compliance involving Affiliated Business Arrangements and those how those expectations extend to class action mitigation risks.

Charles “Chuck” Cain from Cincinnati, Ohio (Executive Vice President Agency at WFG and Of Counsel to the Sterbcow Law Group) and Francis “Trip” Riley from Princeton, New Jersey (Partner with Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr, LLP) will co-present with Mr. Sterbcow in this session.

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Marx Sterbcow, managing attorney with the Sterbcow Law Group, and James Milano, member with Weiner Brodsky Kider PC will speak on RESPA News’s webinar series on the topic of Lead Generation Compliance. The webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, 2015 from 2:20-3:15 PM EST. The Editor of RESPA News, Justine Jones will moderate the webinar.

We will train participants on the regulations governing the real estate lead generation industry and what increased attention the CFPB, Federal Trade Commission, and other agencies mean for your business practices. The webinar will focus on how the CFPB expanded its authority with the use of UDAAP, the potential ramifications of Regulation Z’s Loan Officer Compensation Rule, the dangers of co-marketing with other settlement service providers, and how to carefully vet lead generation companies.

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Marx Sterbcow, managing attorney, of the Sterbcow Law Group, has been invited to speak at the Louisiana Bankers Association 2015 Bank Counsel Conference on the topic of “Who’s Your Vendor? Secondary Market Compliance & Title Agent Vendor Management.” The session will provide insight into how banks should be managing their vendors and what requirements they should be requiring their title agent vendors to have in place. The presentation will also focus on managing the third party vendor management risks in a Post-TRID world and the expectations the secondary market will be playing in this new changing regulatory landscape.

The 2015 Bank Counsel Conference will be held on December 10-11, 2015 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in New Orleans.

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Marx Sterbcow will appear Saturday, August 29th, 2015 on the Real Estate Mortgage Shoppe with Radio Host Jo Garner from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM CST on WREC 600 AM on iHeart Radio. The topic is “Ask The Expert–How the New Real Estate Lending Guidelines Affect You.”

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The CFPB made a last minute surprise decision that they would be issuing a proposed amendment to delay the effective date of the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule “TRID” from August 1, 2015 to October 1, 2015.

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau “CFPB” Director Richard Cordray issued the following statement with respect to the TRID delay proposal:

“The CFPB will be issuing a proposed amendment to delay the effective date of the Know Before You Owe rule until October 1, 2015. We made this decision to correct an administrative error that we just discovered in meeting the requirements under federal law, which would have delayed the effective date of the rule by two weeks. We further believe that the additional time included in the proposed effective date would better accommodate the interests of the many consumers and providers whose families will be busy with the transition to the new school year at that time.”

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The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau “CFPB” announced today they will delay “enforcement” of the new Truth In Lending-RESPA Integrated Disclosure “TRID” rule for an undefined period of time. Over two hundred members of Congress were pushing for an enforcement delay until December 31, 2015 but the CFPB did not place a definitive time frame for compliance thus leaving the date that CFPB enforcement starts very murky.

The CFPB also said they will apply a standard of “sensitivity” in their TRID enforcement oversight with companies who provide “good-faith efforts” to comply with TRID. However, the Bureau failed to define what “sensitivity” or “good-faith efforts” actually mean and how they will be applied.

The enforcement delay is certainly a good step because the CFPB clearly heard from the industry that a number software companies were unable to get their lending customers ready in time. The American Bankers Association recently conducted a study which said that 8 out of 10 bank members couldn’t verify when their software system would be ready or were informed their software system wouldn’t be ready before June. The Loan Originator System “LOS” troubles were discussed in a blog post we did in January.

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Marx Sterbcow, managing attorney of the Sterbcow Law Group, and Jaime Kosofsky, Partner with Brady & Kosofsky, will speak at the Real Estate Service Providers Council “RESPRO” Annual Conference in San Diego, California’s Andaz Hotel on April 21, 2015.

The presentation “Where the Rubber Meets the Road: Helping Your Retail Staff Understand the New Regulations” will discuss whether companies sales associates, loan officers, and settlement agents are familiar with the new TILA-RESPA integrated disclosures “TRID”, RESPA Section 8 responsibilities under TRID, and other regulatory compliance logistic changes. The session will provide guidance on how to educate your retail staff on their new regulatory responsibilities in order to improve company-wide compliance and to enable them to better explain the new procedures to their clients.

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Marx Sterbcow, Managing Attorney of the Sterbcow Law Group LLC, will be presenting on the ATS Secured & Advanced Bank Solutions Webinar Series on Tuesday, March 31, 2015 (1:30 PM – 2:30 PM CDT) on the topic of “RESPA Section 8: Understanding Marketing & Advertising Regulations.” The webinar will cover the topics such as marketing agreements, advertising agreements, co-branding, lead generation, CFPB expectations on financial institutions, third party vendor management marketing concerns for financial institutions, and preparing your organization to remain RESPA compliant.

The ATS Secured & Advanced Bank Solutions Webinar Series is free and you can register by clicking on this link here

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