Which practices are driving the lawsuits in this trend?

Marketing lien-backed HEIs as not loans, no debt, no interest, or no monthly payment products. Failing to give mortgage-credit disclosures, rescission rights, licensing compliance, or rate-cap treatment. Using payoff formulas that can create large balloon obligations tied to home appreciation or contract term. Recording liens that can impair refinancing or force sale/foreclosure when consumers cannot pay the settlement amount. Packaging HEIs into securitizations or investor platforms while regulatory treatment remains unsettled.

HEI Disguised-Loan Litigation

Name: HEI Disguised-Loan Litigation
Creator: Rain Intelligence
Published: 2026-07-22T22:34:00.000Z
License: https://www.rainintelligence.com/terms-conditions

Home Equity Investment Disguised-Loan Litigation Trends

GeneratedJul 22, 2026

30 predicted defendants identified in Rain Intelligence for this trend — companies that have not yet been sued, but are on plaintiffs’ firms’ radar.

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Pre-filing investigations

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Understanding the trend

What is this trend?

A consumer-finance litigation trend challenging home equity investment, shared-equity, and shared-appreciation agreements as residential mortgage credit rather than true investment or option contracts.

What caused it

The market grew as homeowners looked for liquidity without refinancing into higher rates, while HEI providers marketed upfront cash with no monthly payments, no interest, and low credit/income barriers. The CFPB's 2025 market overview, its Roberts v. Unlock amicus, Massachusetts enforcement against Hometap, Colorado's Unlock settlement, and Unison/Hometap class complaints all supplied plaintiffs with a concrete recharacterization roadmap.

Practices driving the lawsuits

Marketing lien-backed HEIs as not loans, no debt, no interest, or no monthly payment products.
Failing to give mortgage-credit disclosures, rescission rights, licensing compliance, or rate-cap treatment.
Using payoff formulas that can create large balloon obligations tied to home appreciation or contract term.
Recording liens that can impair refinancing or force sale/foreclosure when consumers cannot pay the settlement amount.
Packaging HEIs into securitizations or investor platforms while regulatory treatment remains unsettled.

Filed cases

Public court records · filterable + sortable

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Filed▼	Defendant	Court	Firm	Industry	Theory	Complaint
Jul 2, 2026	Hometap Equity Partners, LLC\|Hometap Investment Partners II, L.P.\|Hometap Investment Partners III SPV, LLC Joshua Stevens et al. v. Hometap Equity Partners, LLC et al.	Hennepin County Minnesota	Hellmuth & Johnson, PLLC \| Bryson Harris Suciu Demay, PLLC	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+3	View
Jun 15, 2026	Unison Agreement Corporation\|Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc.\|Unison Investment Management, LLC\|Unison Midgard Holdings LLC Santaniello et al. v. Unison Agreement Corporation et al.	District of New Jersey	Flitter Milz, P.C. \| Langer, Grogan & Diver, P.C.	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+3	View
May 11, 2026	Hometap Equity Partners, LLC\|Hometap Holdings II, LLC\|Hometap Investment Partners II, L.P. Roberta Ruane and John Ruane v. Hometap Equity Partners, LLC, Hometap Holdings II, LLC, and Hometap Investment Partners II, L.P.	Western District of Pennsylvania	Robert Peirce & Associates, PC \| Levin Sedran & Berman	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+2	View
Apr 6, 2026	Unison Agreement Corporation\|Unison Investment Management, LLC\|Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc. Katharine Kane and Charles Kane v. Unison Agreement Corporation, Unison Investment Management, LLC, and Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc.	Colorado District Court	Singleton Schreiber, LLP	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+3	View
Feb 12, 2026	Hometap Equity Partners, Llc \| Hometap Investment Partners Iii Spv Keicha Greenidge and Ryan P. Billey v. Hometap Equity Partners, LLC and Hometap Investment Partners III SPV	New Jersey District Court	Francis Mailman Soumilas, P.c. \| Robert P. Cocco, P.c.	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+3	View
Nov 14, 2025	Unison agreement corporation \| real estate equity exchange inc \| unison investment management llc \| odin new horizon real estate fund lp \| odin new horizon general partner llc \| does 1-10 Albert L. Scroggins Sr. v. Unison Agreement Corporation	San Bernardino superior court state of california	Blood Hurst & O’reardon, Llp	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+3	View
Sep 11, 2025	Unison Agreement Corp. \| Unison Investment Management, LLC \| Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc. Patricia Gout v. Unison Agreement Corp., Unison Investment Management, LLC, and Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc.	San Francisco County California	Terrell Marshall Law Group PLLC \| Gupta Wessler LLP \| Law Office of Andrew J. Kubik	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+3	View
Aug 8, 2023	Unison Investment Management LLC Ahmed et al v. Unison Investment Management LLC	New York Eastern District Court	Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman PLLC	Consumer finance / mortgage	Mortgage-credit recharacterization+2	View

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