Lending

FEMA: SBA Loan Application Can Help Your Eligibility for Other FEMA Grants

GUAYNABO, Puerto Rico – Disaster survivors in Puerto Rico who suffered damage or loss from Hurricane María and were referred to the U.S. Small Business Administration can benefit from other income-based FEMA grants if they complete and submit SBA’s loan application. Among the available options to help survivors, FEMA offers grants under its Other Needs…

CFPB: Final Rule Issued to Help Mortgage Servicers Communicate with Certain Borrowers Facing Bankruptcy

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today issued a final rule to help mortgage servicers communicate with certain borrowers facing bankruptcy. The final rule gives mortgage servicers more latitude in providing periodic statements to consumers entering or exiting bankruptcy, as required by the Bureau’s 2016 mortgage servicing rule. The Truth in Lending Act requires mortgage…

FHFA: Proposed Rule Amending Federal Home Loan Banks’ Affordable Housing Program Regulation Issued

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is seeking comments on proposed amendments to its regulation on the Federal Home Loan Banks’ (FHLBanks) Affordable Housing Program (AHP). The proposed amendments would authorize the FHLBanks to redesign their project selection systems and create special targeted funds, which would allow the FHLBanks more flexibility to align their AHP…

FDIC: FFIEC Revises A Guide to HMDA Reporting: Getting It Right!

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) has revised A Guide to HMDA Reporting: Getting It Right! to reflect the October 2015 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) final rule, as amended in 2017. This compliance resource should help financial institutions better understand the final rule’s requirements, including the data collection and reporting provisions. Statement of…

FDIC: Q&As for Consumers as Part of National Consumer Protection Week

In observance of National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) March 4-10, 2018, the FDIC will post a new question and answer (Q&A) on a different banking topic each weekday at www.fdic.gov/ncpw. The five Q&As — covering mobile banking, credit and debit card security precautions, safe deposit boxes, credit reports, and debt collectors — along with other…

HUD: FHA Extends Foreclosure Moratorium for Hurricane Maria Victims

Additional 60-day relief to help struggling FHA-insured families in Puerto Rico & U.S. Virgin Islands WASHINGTON – For the second time since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced that the agency is extending its 180-day foreclosure moratorium for FHA-insured homeowners for an additional 60…

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in January 2018

Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from December to January, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.12 percent for loans closed in late January, up 4 basis points from 4.08 percent in December….

FHFA: U.S. House Prices Rise 1.6 Percent in Fourth Quarter 2017

U.S. house prices rose 1.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017 according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI).   House prices rose 6.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016 to the fourth quarter of 2017.  FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for December was up 0.3 percent from November. The HPI is…

OCC: Publication Focuses on Single-Family Rehabilitation Financing Programs

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published the latest edition of its Community Developments Investments newsletter titled “Expanding Housing Opportunities: Single-Family Rehabilitation Financing Programs.” This edition of Community Developments Investments discusses how national banks and federal savings associations can help revitalize communities by establishing housing rehabilitation loan programs. The publication describes how…