(WHTM)– Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday announced he secured a settlement with Florida-based MV Realty over a misleading homeowner benefit program.

According to the Attorney General’s Office, MV Realty, doing business as MV Realty of Pennsylvania, agreed to terminate more than 1,300 mortgages it recorded on properties across Pennsylvania through its “Homeowner Benefit Program.”

The company will also cancel all existing contracts with Pennsylvania homeowners and pay $645,595 in restitution to consumers who paid early termination fees.

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The settlement stems from a lawsuit filed by the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General in 2022, alleging that the company misled consumers about the terms of its program and placed mortgage liens on homes with homeowners’ knowledge, the AG’s office said. This is a violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade and Practices and Consumer Protection law.

The lawsuit alleged that MV Realty offered homeowners a one-time upfront payment in exchange for exclusive rights to list their home for sale over a 40-year period, the AG’s office said. Consumers who tried to exit the agreement were required to pay significant termination fees equivalent to 3% of the value of their homes.

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The AG’s office said that many homeowners reported that they were not aware that the agreement would result in a mortgage lien on their property.

“Pennsylvania homeowners who fell victim to MV Realty’s deceptive sales practices were trapped by the mortgages placed on their homes,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This settlement provides impactful relief by eliminating those mortgages and protecting homeowners’ most valuable assets.”

The settlement requires the following, according to the AG’s office:

All existing Homeowner Benefit Agreements MV Realty signed with Pennsylvania homeowners shall be null and void. Within 30 days of the effective date of the Consent Petition, MV Realty shall submit for recording in public records satisfactions of all mortgages recorded in Pennsylvania.

MV Realty shall pay partial consumer restitution of $645,595 and litigation costs of $7,000. The company will make payments in installments to be completed by March 1, 2027.

MV Realty and its officers shall be permanently prohibited from engaging in any business involving the purchase or sale of residential real estate in Pennsylvania.

Civil penalties against MV Realty shall be assessed at $1,663,000 and against Zachman at $50,000, which shall be suspended so long as they comply with the terms of the Consent Petition.

The AG’s office said the Consent Petition was filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas and is pending the court’s approval.

Consumers who paid an early termination fee to MV Realty are encouraged to file a complaint with the Bureau of Consumer Protection within 60 days to qualify for potential restitution, per the AG’s office.

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