Wells Fargo Bank charges inflated premiums when it procures “force-placed” property insurance for homeowners whose coverage has lapsed, a Pompano Beach, Fla., lawyer claimed in a lawsuit.
“The premiums are inflated to cover kickbacks in the form of unearned commissions and bundled administrative costs not properly charged to the consumer,” plaintiff Ira Fladell alleged in a federal court complaint filed in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., yesterday.
Fladell, seeking unspecified money damages, claims the bank breached its contract with him and acted in bad faith. He also said the lender bought a flood insurance policy on his Pompano Beach home while his own coverage was still in effect. Fladell asked the court to make his claims a class-action, or group, lawsuit on behalf of all borrowers in the same situation.
Wells Fargo, run by CEO John Stumpf, agreed this week to pay $125 million to the US in settlement of unrelated allegations of bias against minority borrowers.
Bank spokesman Ancel Martinez didn’t reply to a message seeking comment on the lawsuit.