HUD: FHA Proposes New Lender Certification Requirements
Effort designed to improve clarity and certainty of compliance rules, expand financing options for borrowers The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today proposed several revisions to its lender certification requirements with the goal of providing lenders and servicers greater certainty in how to satisfy the agency’s compliance requirements. In providing greater certainty to the process, FHA…
HUD: FHA Offers Incentives for Property Owners Who Invest in Opportunity Zones
Lower costs and dedicated underwriters to stimulate housing investment in distressed neighborhoods The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) today announced a package of incentives to encourage multi-family property owners to invest in thousands of neighborhoods located in Opportunity Zones across the nation. Read today’s Housing Notice. FHA is introducing reduced application fees paid by property owners applying…
Federal Reserve: Final Rule Approved to Repeal Regulations for SAFE Act
The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday approved final amendments to its regulations to reflect the transfer of the Board’s rulemaking authority for the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act (S.A.F.E. Act) to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau). Entities that were subject to the Board’s rules are now subject to the Bureau’s…
CFPB: Regulations Proposed to Implement the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act
Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to implement the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA). The proposal would provide consumers with clear protections against harassment by debt collectors and straightforward options to address or dispute debts. Among other things, the NPRM would set clear, bright-line limits on…
CFPB: Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Issued for HMDA Rules
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (Bureau) today issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which proposes to raise the coverage thresholds for collecting and reporting data about closed-end mortgage loans and open-end lines of credit under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) rules. The NPRM would provide relief to smaller lenders from HMDA’s data reporting…
FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Decreased in March 2019
Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages decreased from February to March, 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 4.36 percent for loans closed in late March, down 10 basis points from 4.46 percent in February. The…
ABA: Report Shows Bank Lending Rose to $108 Billion in 2018
Strong performance, asset quality and capital levels in 2018 U.S. farm banks increased agricultural lending by 5.3 percent, or $5.5 billion, to $108 billion in 2018, according to the American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank Performance Report. The report—an analysis by ABA’s economic research team based on FDIC data—examines the performance of the nation’s 1,772 banks…
ABA: Reports Shows Consumer Delinquencies Mixed in Fourth Quarter 2018
Consumer credit delinquencies were mixed in last year’s fourth quarter, with delinquencies falling for the composite index of closed-end loans and rising in other open-end loan categories, according to results from the American Bankers Association’s Consumer Credit Delinquency Bulletin. Overall, delinquencies fell in six of the 11 categories tracked by ABA while five categories rose….
OCC: Revised Interagency Examination Procedures for HMDA Issued
Summary The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is issuing this bulletin to inform national banks, federal savings associations, and federal branches and agencies (collectively, banks) about revised interagency examination procedures for determining compliance with the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA). Highlights The examination procedures were developed by members of the Federal Financial…
HUD: Disaster Assistance Announced for Iowa Storm Victims
Foreclosure protection offered to displaced families The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced it will speed federal disaster assistance to the State of Iowa and provide support to homeowners and low-income renters forced from their homes in areas affected by severe storms and flooding. On March 23rd, President Trump issued a major…