On June 18, 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Circular 26-20-23 (dated June 17, 2020) extended the eviction moratorium for properties secured by VA guaranteed loans from June 30, 2020 to August 31....more
On June 16, 2020, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced the availability of COVID-19 resources for mortgage loan borrowers....more
On June 4, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued Mortgagee Letter 2020-16 to address the endorsement for FHA insurance of mortgage loans in a COVID-19 forbearance. ...more
On May 28, 2020, Fannie Mae in updates to Lender Letter 2020-03 and Lender Letter 2020-04 and Freddie Mac in Bulletin 2020-19 updated their temporary origination requirements based on COVID-19....more
As previously reported, in April 2020 the CFPB released a final rule to increase the threshold to report closed-end mortgage loans under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) from 25 to 100 originated loans in each of the...more
On May 20, 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued Loan Guaranty Circular 26-20-19, dated May 19, 2020, to provide additional guidance to lenders regarding VA policies during the COVID-19 emergency....more
The CFPB recently issued two factsheets regarding the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) and Regulation B provisions that require creditors to provide the applicant with a copy of any written appraisal or other valuation...more
In conjunction with the May 5, 2020 update to and extension of their temporary origination and appraisal guidance, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac updated their COVID-19 FAQs....more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD OIG) issued a statement dated April 27, 2020, that is not complimentary about how mortgage servicer websites are providing information on...more
On April 29, 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced an interpretive rule addressing the waiting periods under the Regulation Z right to rescind provisions and the TRID rule in view of COVID-19, and...more
The CFPB recently issued a final Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) rule to increase the threshold to report closed-end mortgage loans from 25 to 100 originated loans in each of the prior two years, and to increase the...more
As previously reported, a bipartisan group of seven U.S. Senators sent a letter, dated April 8, 2020, to U.S. Department of Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, in his capacity as Chair of the Financial Stability Oversight...more
On April 3, 2020, federal agencies and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) issued a joint statement (Joint Statement) providing guidance to residential mortgage loan servicers regarding forbearance measures under...more
On Wednesday, March 25, 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom and a long list of mortgage lenders and servicers—including major banks and nearly 200 state-chartered banks, credit unions, and servicers—reached an agreement to...more
On March 24, 2020 the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) adopted on an emergency basis a regulation that requires New York-regulated banking organizations and New York-regulated mortgage servicers subject...more
In response to COVID-19 developments, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have issued guidance regarding verifications of employment (VOEs), income continuity, appraisals, title policies, and other matters. The Fannie Mae guidance is...more
As part of the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker issued a “stay home” or “shelter-in-place” order on March 20, 2020, via Executive Order 2020-10 (Order)....more
COVID-19 and social distancing protocols are presenting new challenges for us all. The real estate and mortgage industry is no exception. These challenges are impacting lenders, borrowers, and service providers, such as title...more
A three judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (Fourth Circuit) recently held in Baehrs v. The Creig Northrop Team et al that although the plaintiffs had alleged a violation of the Real Estate...more
In an Industry Letter, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) is requesting assurance that New York State regulated institutions have preparedness plans in place to address operational risk, and it is...more
3/17/2020
/ China ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Crisis Management ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Disaster Preparedness ,
Emergency Management Plans ,
Filing Requirements ,
Financial Fraud ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Infectious Diseases ,
NYDFS ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Suppliers ,
Third-Party Service Provider
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) recently issued the 2020 edition of the Guide to HMDA Reporting: Getting It Right! (2020 Guide)....more
2/14/2020
/ Closed-End Loans ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Lenders ,
FFIEC ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HMDA ,
Mortgages ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Threshold Requirements
As previously reported, in October 2019 the CFPB issued a final rule under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) to...more
1/27/2020
/ Categorical Exemptions ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HMDA ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
Open-Ended Lines of Credit ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulation C ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Small Entity Compliance Guide ,
Threshold Requirements
The Taxpayer First Act adopted in the summer of 2019 includes the following provision that has an effective date of December 28, 2019...more
12/20/2019
/ Applications ,
Consent ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Lenders ,
Disclosure ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
IRS ,
Loans ,
Personal Information ,
Taxpayer First Act of 2019 (TFA)
HomeStreet Bank recently agreed to the issuance of an order to settle an allegation by the FDIC that the bank’s discontinued Home Loan Center-based mortgage business line violated the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act...more
The CFPB recently issued in final form two elements of a May 2019 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) proposed rule. As previously reported, the May 2019 proposal would...more
10/11/2019
/ Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
HMDA ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
Open-Ended Lines of Credit ,
Proposed Rules ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Threshold Requirements