Michael Bresnick published a chapter "Consumer-Relief Funds" in the first edition of Global Investigations Review's The Guide to Monitorships. The following is an excerpt:
Before the 2007–2008 financial crisis, federal and state authorities generally limited their appointment of monitors to cases that required the settling entity to establish ongoing compliance with a particular subject matter, such as issues with regard to the Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML) laws, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), healthcare or the environment, among others. This changed dramatically on 9 February 2012, when, following a years-long coordinated investigation, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and 49 state attorneys general announced a $25-billion settlement (the National Mortgage Settlement) with the United States' five largest mortgage servicers to address mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure abuses committed during the housing crisis.