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Feb. 25, 2014 – CFPB on Monday ordered 1st Alliance Lending LLC, a mortgage lender in Connecticut, to pay an $83,000 civil money penalty for violating a prohibition against the payment of unearned fees.

The firm itself reported the potential violation in 2013. It said it believed it had violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act by splitting origination and loss-mitigation fees with a hedge fund and affiliates after its working arrangement with these firms ended.

CFPB said First Alliance cooperated with the bureau's investigation, and the bureau concluded there had been a RESPA violation. "First Alliance's self-reporting and cooperation, consistent with the Bureau's Responsible Business Conduct bulletin published on June 25, 2013, were taken into account in resolving this matter," the bureau said.

The bulletin noted above is for entities under direct CFPB supervision. CFPB has direct enforcement and examination authority over institutions with more than $10 billion in assets, which includes the four largest credit unions.