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Ethics & Fraudmedium18% of exam

Before closing, the team discovers that a settlement provider asks to be paid for a task it did not actually perform. What is the safest compliant answer?

Correct Answer

D) Pay only for actual, necessary, distinct services performed

Lines 267-269; 12 CFR 1024.14(g). The ethical and legal distinction is payment for real services, not a label or customary amount. Therefore, the correct response is "Pay only for actual, necessary, distinct services performed".

Answer Options
A
Continue the activity because the borrower appears willing to proceed.
B
Ignore the consumer-protection issue unless the borrower complains.
C
Use the branch licensing standard to decide the Permitted compensation for actual services issue before confirming the trigger facts.
D
Pay only for actual, necessary, distinct services performed

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The correct response is "Pay only for actual, necessary, distinct services performed" because Lines 267-269; 12 CFR 1024.14(g).

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A: Continue the activity because the borrower appears willing to proceed.

Continue the activity because the borrower appears willing to proceed. is not correct because it does not apply the rule tested by this file scenario.

Option B: Ignore the consumer-protection issue unless the borrower complains.

Ignore the consumer-protection issue unless the borrower complains. is not correct because it does not apply the rule tested by this file scenario.

Option C: Use the branch licensing standard to decide the Permitted compensation for actual services issue before confirming the trigger facts.

This distractor shifts the issue to a different trigger, product, or timing rule instead of applying the rule tested in the stem.

Memory Technique

Permitted compensation for actual services: identify the rule being tested, then choose the action that documents or applies that rule before the file moves forward.

Exam Tip

Match the file facts to Permitted compensation for actual services; do not choose an exception or shortcut that skips the required rule.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • -Choosing an internal exception instead of the governing rule
  • -Treating preliminary or informal facts as a substitute for required documentation
  • -Answering from a familiar but unrelated mortgage topic
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