Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Printer-Friendly Version

Press Releases

CINCINNATI --

American Sentry Mortgage, a mortgage lending company based in Mason, Ohio, has paid $29,309 in back wages to 51 employees for minimum wage violations found during an investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division

“The Labor Department is committed to vigorously enforcing the law and ensuring that workers receive all of the wages they are owed,” said George Victory, district director of the department’s Wage and Hour Division in Columbus.

The Wage and Hour Division investigated American Sentry Mortgage under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal law that establishes minimum wage and overtime standards. Loan officers were paid commissions on a monthly basis and, in some weeks, failed to earn the minimum wage for the hours they worked. The violations occurred from November 2003 to November 2005.

After the Wage and Hour Division explained the requirements of the law, the company agreed to pay all back wages owed the employees and to comply with the federal wage and hour law in the future.

The FLSA requires covered employees to be paid the minimum wage for all hours worked and time and one-half the regular rate of pay for hours worked over 40 in a week. Employees who are paid commissions must receive at least the minimum wage, just as employees who are paid by the hour or by the piece. Employers must also maintain accurate time and payroll records.

American Sentry Mortgage is headquartered at 4770 Duke Drive, Mason, Ohio. The company has a branch office in Florence, Ky.

For more information about the FLSA, call the Department of Labor’s toll-free help line at 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

###

U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department is committed to providing America’s employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance.