Fair Lending Shake-Ups: CFPB Vacates Townstone Settlement, FHFA Ends GSEs' Special Purpose Credit Programs — The Consumer Finance Podcast
The Latest on Junk Fees and New York's Foreclosure Abuse Prevention Act — The Consumer Finance Podcast
The Latest on HUD's Disparate Impact Rule - The Consumer Finance Podcast
Title Insurance and Your Transaction
Law Brief®: Robert Wolf, Alexander Tiktin and Richard Schoenstein Discuss the Continuing Foreclosure/Eviction Moratorium
Credit Eco to Go Podcast - Not a Normal Mortgage Crisis: How the Mortgage Industry Weathered the Pandemic
Not a Normal Mortgage Crisis: How the Mortgage Industry Weathered the Pandemic
In January 2025 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued Mortgagee Letter 2025-06 revising servicing and claims requirements and loss mitigation options for FHA insured mortgage loans effective...more
Recently, FHA’s Office of Single Family Housing included on its “Drafting Table” a request for stakeholder feedback on both a draft Mortgagee Letter establishing the Optional Reimbursement Claim Alternative Option (“ORCA”)...more
On December 2, the FHA issued Mortgagee Letter 2024-23, outlining revised requirements for reporting cyber incidents by FHA-approved mortgagees. According to the letter, the revisions aim to align FHA reporting requirements...more
As interest rates drop, the CFPB is exploring ways to streamline mortgage rules to make the refinancing process easier and closing costs less expensive, Director Rohit Chopra said at a housing conference sponsored by the...more
A recent study, Government Litigation Risk and the Decline in Low-Income Mortgage Lending, provides further evidence that the law of unintended consequences reigns supreme, particularly in the realm of public policy. The...more
As previously reported, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in connection with single-family residential mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and Fannie Mae and Freddie...more
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently finalized in Mortgage Letter 2024-14, dated July 10, 2024, a revision to its Defect Taxonomy to clarify that fraud or material misrepresentation involving a sponsored...more
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently finalized enhancements to its 203(k) rehabilitation mortgage loan program in Mortgagee Letter 2024-13. This action follows the FHA proposing enhancements to the program last...more
In May 2024, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) published a Request for Input (RFI) titled “Federal Home Loan Bank Core Mission Activities and Mission Achievement” with comments due to the FHFA on July 15, 2024. This...more
On May 23, HUD issued Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2024-10 titled “Significant Cybersecurity Incident (Cyber Incident) Reporting Requirements” which required FHA-approved mortgagees to notify HUD when a “Cyber Incident” occurs. A...more
On March 19, the FHA issued Mortgagee Letter 2024-04 to implement the provisions of a Final Rule, “Changes in Branch Office Registration Requirements.” The Final Rule will eliminate the requirement for mortgagees and lenders...more
Federal Housing Administration (“FHA”) approved lenders and mortgagees will no longer be required to register their branch offices. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) published a final rule (the “Final...more
The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) recently proposed enhancements to its 203(k) rehabilitation mortgage loan program. The proposed enhancements are set forth in a draft Mortgagee Letter. FHA will accept feedback on the...more
On November 2, the FHA released a mortgage letter (ML) updating the sales comparison approach for manufactured homes. The update to the FHA’s rule affects how real estate appraisers will now appraise manufactured homes using...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced in Mortgagee Letter 2023.13 that lenders must use the Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF) of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in connection...more
On May 17, HUD announced new policies to expedite claims processing for home equity conversion mortgages (HECM). Specifically, FHA’s policies will allow for faster payment of funds to mortgagees upon assignment of an HECM to...more
On May 2, FHA published Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2023-09 to implement provisions of the Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM): Transitioning from LIBOR to Alternative Indices final rule that was published in the Federal Register at...more
Borrowers who go through the process of obtaining an FHA-insured multifamily loan generally come to the same conclusion: the juice is worth the squeeze. At the end of the day, they get to enjoy a unique blend of benefits (35...more
On March 1, FHA published FHA INFO 2023-14 announcing a proposed rule to eliminate a requirement that mortgagees and lenders register all branch offices conducting FHA business with HUD. Currently, all FHA-approved mortgagees...more
On February 13, HUD issued Mortgagee Letter 2023-03, which makes technical corrections to Mortgagee Letter 2023-02 issued in January that expanded and enhanced loss mitigation options for borrowers struggling to make payments...more
In Mortgagee Letter 2020-20 dated June 29, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the extension of FHA temporary guidance regarding employment verification and appraisals due to COVID-19. The...more
On October 28, 2019 the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) released a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announcing their joint approach to False Claims Act (FCA)...more
We have reported on the attempt by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to impose new documentation requirements for down payment assistance provided by government entities to be used in connection with...more
The CFPB has issued a report, “Mortgages to First-time Homebuying Servicemembers,” that focuses on mortgage loans made from 2006 to 2016 to first-time homebuyers who are serving in the military or are veterans....more
As covered earlier this week in a legal alert, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued a report recommending sweeping regulatory changes for consumer financial services. Within the report, the Treasury also recommended a...more