US to seek court approval of $25 billion mortgage pact

A previously announced $25 billion settlement between five major banks accused of abusive mortgage practices and government officials will be filed in federal court on Monday, people familiar with the matter said late Friday. The pact unveiled February 9 is expected to result in payments and other mortgage relief for about one million borrowers, but must first be approved by a judge.
Bank of America Corp, Wells Fargo & Co, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co, Citigroup Inc and Ally Financial Inc agreed to the settlement after 16 months of negotiations with state attorneys general and federal agencies, including the US Justice Department and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. But the fine print took another month to finalise.