ABA: New Webpage Launched Highlighting Programs Designed to Improve Access to Capital for Underserved Small Businesses
The American Bankers Association today launched a new webpage providing information on special purpose credit programs (SPCPs) and highlighting the role they can play in meeting the credit needs of economically disadvantaged small businesses. In support of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s Project REACh, ABA is making this online resource available for banks and other…
HUD: FHA Seeks Input to Enhance Financing for Homes in Need of Rehabilitation
Request for Information published today seeks industry input on ways to enhance FHA’s 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program to support housing supply and affordability. Today, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published a Request for Information in the Federal Register seeking public comments on ways it can enhance its Single Family 203(k) Rehabilitation Mortgage Insurance Program. The 203(k)…
CFPB: New Report Finds One-Third Decline in Collections Items on Consumer Credit Reports
Report underscores ongoing concerns about accuracy of collections data, particularly with respect to medical debt Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report examining trends in credit reporting of debt in collections from 2018 to 2022. The report found the total number of collections tradelines on credit reports declined by 33%, from 261…
HUD: Major Milestone Achieved in Assisting Nearly 2 Million Homeowners Stay in Their Homes
FHA foreclosure avoidance options have been expanded and extended Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced that, thanks to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) programs, approximately 2 million homeowners with FHA mortgages were able to stay in their homes from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March…
ABA: Association Offers Congressional Testimony on Strength of Banking Industry
FirstBank CEO Jim Reuter appears on behalf of ABA members before House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy The American Bankers Association today provided testimony to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy on the banking industry’s public policy priorities, new initiatives to foster innovation and competition in financial services,…
CFPB: New Guidance Issued to Protect Mortgage Borrowers from Pay-to-Play Digital Comparison-Shopping Platforms
Financial arrangements that influence or manipulate search results are illegal Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued an advisory opinion to protect Americans from double dealing on digital mortgage comparison-shopping platforms. Companies operating these digital platforms appear to shoppers as if they provide objective lender comparisons, but may illegally refer people to only those…
FDIC: Update on Supervisory Approach Regarding Changes to HMDA’s Closed-End Mortgage Loan Volume Reporting Threshold
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is issuing this Financial Institution Letter to inform supervised institutions of recent changes regarding the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) reporting threshold for closed-end mortgage loans and the FDIC’s supervisory approach for enforcing related requirements. For FDIC-supervised institutions that meet Regulation C’s coverage requirements, the threshold for reporting data…
CFPB: Rule Proposed to Rein in Excessive Credit Card Late Fees
Proposed rule seeks to close loophole exploited by companies to hike fees with inflation Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a rule to curb excessive credit card late fees that cost American families about $12 billion each year. Major credit card issuers continue to profit off late fees that are protected by an…
Federal Reserve: Changes to HMDA Loan Volume Reporting Threshold for Closed-End Mortgage Loans
This letter addresses the impact on financial institutions supervised by the Federal Reserve of recent changes as a result of litigation related to the HMDA reporting threshold for closed-end mortgage loans. Background In May 2020, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published a final rule amending Regulation C (Home Mortgage Disclosure) to, among other things,…
FEMA: Twenty Tribes and All Inhabited U.S. Territories Now Eligible for FEMA’s Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Grant Program
FEMA is expanding the eligibility for a new grant program that provides capitalization grants to fund revolving loans for resilience-related activities. The Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund grant program has been expanded to give insular areas the same eligibility to apply as states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. This means American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana…