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…
HUD: FHA Assistance Options Expanded for Borrowers Struggling to Make Mortgage Payments
Updated loss mitigation options will help borrowers struggling with their mortgage payments to avoid foreclosure. Today, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is announcing that it is expanding and enhancing its set of loss mitigation options used to help borrowers struggling to make mortgage payments on their FHA-insured mortgages. The enhancements extend FHA’s highly effective COVID-19 loss mitigation…
HUD: $15 Million Loan Guarantee Announced for Cleveland, OH Affordable Housing Rehabilitation Project
Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a $15 million loan guarantee to the City of Cleveland, Ohio. The loan guarantee, offered through the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program (Section 108), will be used to finance the construction of the Centennial Project in downtown Cleveland. Cleveland will use the Section 108…
ABA: Bank Economists Expect Credit Conditions to Weaken over Next Six Months as Inflation Moderates
Bank economists expect credit conditions to soften over the next six months as the economy slows and the Federal Reserve considers additional steps to rein in inflation, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest Credit Conditions Index released today. The latest report finds slightly less pessimistic near-term expectations for business and consumer credit quality and…