FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts
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410-576-7009
Charged with Unfair, Abusive, and Deceptive Trade Practices and Making Illegal and Usurious Loans to Maryland Homeowners Through Predatory “Homeowner Benefit Agreements”
BALTIMORE, MD – Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced today that his Consumer Protection Division has filed charges against MV Realty PBC, LLC; MV Realty of Maryland LLC; MV Brokerage of Maryland LLC; and their corporate officers, Antony Mitchell (CEO), David L. Manchester (COO), and Amanda J. Zachman, known collectively as “MV Realty.” According to the charges, MV Realty engaged in illegal consumer lending when it entered into “Homeowner Benefit Agreements” (HBAs) with Maryland consumers, advancing them a small sum that they would have to repay with exorbitant interest.
Maryland lending laws require consumer lenders to (a) be licensed, (b) disclose loan terms to consumers, and (c) abide by interest rate limits. In addition, these laws generally forbid lenders from filing liens against real property to secure loans of less than $4,000. According to the Division’s charges, the HBAs that MV Realty advertised as a “loan alternative” were secured loans that illegally encumbered consumers’ homes and required the payment of excessive interest if the home transferred ownership without the use of MV Realty.
The Division alleges that MV Realty misrepresented or failed to disclose important information to consumers, including that each HBA lasts 40 years and binds heirs and successors. According to the charges, MV Realty recorded HBAs in land records, where they act as a lien that requires consumers to pay MV Realty at least 3.0% of the home value when they sell or transfer their home. The Division also alleges that MV Realty charged consumers an undisclosed “administrative fee” of $500 for using MV Realty to sell their home.
“A person’s home is often the most valuable asset they will pass down to their loved ones. MV Realty trapped over one thousand Maryland homeowners and their heirs in costly and unlawful 40-year agreements that threatened that dream,” said Attorney General Brown. “Our Office will not allow predatory lenders to take advantage of Marylanders in moments of financial need and burden their families for generations to come.”
The Attorney General’s action seeks an order that compels MV Realty to cease and desist from violating Maryland’s lending, debt collection, and consumer protection laws, terminates all HBAs and related liens against consumers’ homes, and provides for the restitution of money unlawfully taken from consumers. The action also seeks statutory civil penalties and costs. The case is scheduled for a hearing at the Office of Administrative Hearings beginning on September 8, 2026.
Any consumers with complaints against MV Realty should call the Consumer Protection Division at 410-528-8662, file a complaint online at oag.maryland.gov, or write to the Consumer Protection Division at 200 St. Paul Place, 16th Floor, Baltimore, MD 21202.
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