Quick Answer
The Federal Trade Commission is mailing nearly $3 million in refund checks to 1,821 homeowners who lost money to a network of mortgage relief scams that operated under names including Home Matters USA, Academy Home Services, Atlantic Pacific Service Group, and Westwood Advocates. The refunds stem from a $19 million federal court judgment and a permanent industry ban against the operators.
Verified victims do not need to apply. The refund administrator, JND Legal Administration, is mailing checks directly to the addresses on file. Anyone who believes they were a victim and has not received a check can call JND at 1-833-674-0067 to confirm their claim status.
All checks must be cashed within 90 days of the issue date. Uncashed funds revert to the United States Treasury.
What the underlying scam actually did
The Home Matters USA operation targeted homeowners who were either delinquent on their mortgage payments or worried about falling behind. Telemarketers used high pressure scripts and direct mail pieces that mimicked official government correspondence to convince homeowners that the operation could negotiate substantially lower mortgage interest rates and reduced monthly payments with their lenders.
The pitch demanded an upfront fee, often equal to one or two monthly mortgage payments, before any work began. Victims were also instructed to stop communicating with their actual mortgage servicer and to redirect their monthly payments to the operation, which was supposedly negotiating on their behalf.
In reality, the operators did almost no negotiation. Most victims either lost their upfront fees and saw no change in their mortgage terms, or, in the worst cases, fell deeper into delinquency because they had stopped paying their actual servicer while the operators pocketed redirected payments.
Why the upfront fee is the legal smoking gun
Charging an upfront fee for mortgage assistance relief services has been illegal under the Federal Trade Commission's Mortgage Assistance Relief Services rule (the MARS rule, also called Regulation O when administered by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) since 2010. The rule explicitly prohibits collecting any fee before the consumer has accepted a written modification offer from their lender.
That single regulatory line is what makes most mortgage relief scams immediately and obviously illegal. Any company that asks for money before delivering a signed lender approved modification is, by definition, breaking federal law. The Home Matters USA operation's entire business model was built on violating that rule.
The legal action that produced the refunds
The FTC, joined by several state attorneys general, sued the operators in federal court for violations of the FTC Act, the MARS rule, and the Telemarketing Sales Rule. The court ultimately entered a $19 million judgment, banned the named operators from the debt relief and telemarketing industries for life, and ordered the surrender of substantially all corporate and personal assets that could be traced to the scheme.
The asset turnover process took years to complete. The current refund wave represents the first major distribution from the recovered funds. Additional smaller distributions may follow if more assets are recovered through ongoing collection efforts.
Who qualifies for a refund
Eligibility is limited to consumers identified in the operation's own records as having paid the named entities for mortgage relief services that were never delivered. The FTC and JND Legal Administration built the claimant list directly from internal company records, bank statements, and consumer complaints filed with state and federal regulators.
- Consumers who paid Home Matters USA, Academy Home Services, Atlantic Pacific Service Group, Westwood Advocates, or one of the operation's other affiliated brand names.
- Consumers whose payment is documented in either the company's records or the FTC's parallel investigation files.
- Consumers with a current mailing address that JND has been able to verify through standard skip tracing.
Consumers who believe they were a victim but are not on the current claimant list can contact JND at 1-833-674-0067 to be reviewed for inclusion in any future distribution wave.
How to cash the check safely
Refund checks arrive in a plain envelope from JND Legal Administration. The check itself is drawn on a standard commercial bank and can be deposited or cashed at any bank, credit union, or check cashing service. The FTC and JND do not charge any fee to receive or cash the refund.
- Cash or deposit the check within 90 days of the issue date printed on the check itself.
- Do not pay anyone to help me cash the refund. The check requires no advance payment, no processing fee, and no third party assistance.
- Ignore any caller, email, or text claiming to be from the FTC and asking for a fee, a Social Security number, or a bank account number in connection with the refund. Those are follow on scams.
- Confirm any uncertain communication by calling the FTC directly at 1-877-FTC-HELP or JND at 1-833-674-0067.
The red flags that signal a mortgage relief scam
The Home Matters USA operation followed a playbook that is shared across most mortgage relief scams. Recognizing the pattern is the single best protection. The FTC consistently flags the same red flags in its consumer education materials.
- Any demand for an upfront fee before a written modification offer from my actual lender is, by federal rule, illegal.
- Any guarantee of a specific interest rate reduction or specific monthly payment is impossible to make honestly before the lender's underwriting review.
- Any company that uses official sounding government program names like "CARES Act Fund" or "HAMP Plus" is almost always running a brand impersonation play.
- Any instruction to stop talking to my actual mortgage servicer is a sign that the operator is trying to hide the fact that no negotiation is happening.
- Any instruction to redirect monthly mortgage payments to the operator instead of my actual servicer is a major red flag and will damage my credit if I follow it.
Where to go for legitimate mortgage help
The free, legitimate alternatives to predatory mortgage relief operations are all available at no cost. The most reliable starting point is a HUD approved housing counseling agency, accessible through the Department of Housing and Urban Development's locator at hud.gov or by calling 1-800-569-4287. Counselors at these agencies are funded by the federal government and cannot charge fees for foreclosure prevention counseling.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau also operates a free complaint and assistance portal at consumerfinance.gov for borrowers having trouble with their servicer. For active foreclosure cases, state level legal aid organizations provide free representation to qualifying homeowners.
The takeaway
The FTC's June 2026 refund distribution sends nearly $3 million back to 1,821 homeowners scammed by the Home Matters USA mortgage relief network. Checks arrive automatically from JND Legal Administration and must be cashed within 90 days. The case is also a useful reminder of the single most reliable mortgage scam red flag: any upfront fee for mortgage relief services is, by federal rule, illegal. Free, legitimate help is available through HUD approved counseling agencies at no cost.
