What Happened
The FTC announced that a federal court in California temporarily halted National Amendment Assistance, also doing business as N.A.A., after the agency accused the mortgage assistance relief operation of deceiving homeowners.
According to the FTC's complaint, since at least 2022 Southern California-based companies steered by Marinus Pieter Van Zweeden, Martin Howard Rub and Susan Jane Bustamante mailed letters to homeowners nationwide claiming to offer mortgage relief under the CARES Act. The letters allegedly promised lower mortgage rates and monthly payments through supposed homeowner assistance or lender-specific adjustment programs.
The FTC says the defendants charged unlawful upfront fees, misrepresented that consumers had a "grace period" when they did not need to pay their mortgage, failed to obtain relief, and left some homeowners behind on payments or facing foreclosure or default.
Why This Matters
Mortgage stress is a perfect target for scammers because the fear is immediate and the paperwork is confusing. A fake official-sounding mailer can make a desperate homeowner think help has already been approved, when the only thing waiting is an upfront fee.
The FTC says the case involves alleged violations of the FTC Act, the Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Translation: the government thinks this was not creative financial counseling. It thinks this was a pressure funnel dressed up as relief.
The Dumb Part With The Relief Letter
The dumb part is slapping pandemic-era rescue language on a mortgage pitch years later and hoping fear does the rest. "CARES Act Homeowner Assistance Fund" sounds official enough to make the mailbox feel like it came with a tiny government seal.
But a real rescue program should not begin with strangers telling you to stop paying your mortgage and send them money first. That is not assistance. That is a foreclosure speedrun with letterhead.
The Bottom Line
The FTC says the court entered a temporary restraining order and that the case will be decided by the court. The real stupid shit is a mortgage-relief operation allegedly selling homeowners a lower-payment fantasy while pushing them closer to the cliff.
Sources
FTC: FTC sues to stop deceptive mortgage assistance relief operation that targets homeowners
FTC case page: National Amendment Assistance, FTC v.