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A class action lawsuit has been filed against Option One Mortgage Corp., a subsidiary of H&R Block, by consumers who received stated income mortgage loans. The complaint alleges that these creditors were charged pre-payment penalties that violated federal lending laws. The plaintiffs seek a refund of the penalties and other damages.

A national class action has been filed in New York against debt collection specialists Valentine & Kerbatas, Inc. on behalf of all U.S. residents who have, since November 5, 2002, received a first collection letter from Valentine & Kerbatas in which the debtor is informed that the debt is immediately due as a result of the debtor's lack of response to Valentine & Kerbatas' previous collection efforts. The debtors, who seek declaratory relief and statutory damages, allege that Valentine & Kerbatas has violated the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

A class action has been filed against debt collector Caldeway Properties, Inc. on behalf of individuals who received collection letters from Caldeway containing language alleged to violate the fair debt collection practices act. The case seeks actual and punitive damages, attorney’s fees and costs.

Four loan officers filed a class action under Florida's new Minimum Wage Amendment to the Constitution on September 27, 2005, for unpaid minimum wage and a collective action against Residential Finance Corporation, and its two principal officers Michael Isaacs and David Stein, for failure to pay minimum wage and overtime compensation. Plaintiffs are represented by attorneys in Florida. "This may be the first class action filed under Florida's new minimum wage constitutional provision" states one of the attorneys representing plaintiffs.

Auditing firms that don’t report accounting errors are in trouble these days. A class action has been filed against law firm Ernst & Young, LLP, on behalf of NextCard, Inc. shareholders who purchased NextCard securities between April 19, 2000, and October 30, 2001. The shareholders allege that the law firm, acting as NextCard’s auditor, actively participated in a scheme to defraud them in violation of federal securities laws.

A class action has been filed in Pennsylvania against collection specialist, NCO Financial Services, Inc. The action is brought on behalf of all Kentucky and Pennsylvania residents who received a collection letter from NCO Financial which included a due date for payment, a date which consumers claim has the effect of overshadowing the statutorily required statement entitling consumers to challenge the validity of the alleged debt. The action is brought under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and seeks statutory damages as well as injunctive and declaratory relief.