News

CFPB Director Defends Mortgage Rules, Discusses Plans In Other Markets

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

On January 28, the House Financial Services Committee held a lengthy hearing with CFPB Director Richard Cordray in connection with the CFPB’s November 2013 Semi-Annual Report to Congress, which covers the period April 1, 2013 through September 30,...

Special Alert: FHA Announces It Will Accept Electronically-Signed Mortgage Documents

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

On January 30, HUD issued Mortgagee Letter 2014-03, announcing that FHA will now treat electronic signatures as equivalent to handwritten signatures for certain mortgage documents. The announcement sets forth FHA’s first authorization of electronic...

2014 Washington Outlook

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

In this issue: - Overview - Tax Reform Outlook - Immigration Outlook - Health Care Outlook - Telecommunications Outlook - Energy Outlook - Financial Services Outlook - Election Outlook - Excerpt from Overview: The...

The Business Court Takes A Narrow View Of When Claims Are "In Or Affecting Commerce" Under Chapter 75 Of The General Statutes

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

Chapter 75 claims have rarely fared well in the Business Court, though there is not much doubt about why they are included in almost every Complaint in the Court. The prospect of treble damages (per G.S. §75-16) and attorneys' fees (per G.S. §...

Q&A With Bilzin Sumberg's Jeffrey Rubinger

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

Jeffrey L. Rubinger is a partner in Bilzin Sumberg Baena Price & Axelrod's Miami office. He practices in the area of domestic and international taxation. Originally Published on Law360 - January 31, 2014....

Minimum Wage in Ontario will Rise to $11 per hour on June 1, 2014

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

On January 30, 2014, the Ontario government announced there will be an increase in the general minimum wage rate from $10.25 to $11 per hour effective June 1, 2014. This 75-cent boost will reflect the rise in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) since the...

Temporary Impairments May Be Covered Under ADA

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

This past week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit held in Summers v. Altarum Institute that a temporary impairment caused by an injury may be a covered disability under the 2008 Amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act...

Washington Amends Its Consumer Loan Act Licensing Regulations

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

The Washington Department of Financial Institutions (Department) recently issued a new rule clarifying the licensing requirements for individual managers of Consumer Loan Company Licensees. The new rule became effective on January 1, 2014....

White House Proposes Sustainable Shale Gas Growth Zones; Praises Role of Natural Gas in U.S. Energy Policy

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

A fact-sheet released by the White House following Tuesday’s State of the Union Address announced the Obama Administration’s intent to work with Congress, State and local governments to create Sustainable Shale Gas Growth Zones. According to the...

On Closer Inspection, This CII “Best Practice” May Be Neither Good Nor Legal

By EsqSocial Corporation 03/02/14

The Council of Institutional Investors has adopted what it describes as ”a comprehensive body of corporate governance best practices”, including Policies on Corporate Governance. I question, however, whether some of these policies really are “best...

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