Tag Archives: Mortgage Regulation

On Wednesday, Treasury announced its newest appointments for the leadership team of the Office of the General Counsel within the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) implementation team. The CFPB will have statutory oversight of mortgage lending and the power to set new rules for home loans and other consumer-facing credit products. Len Kennedy will serve as general counsel, and Meredith Fuchs will serve as principal deputy general counsel. Roberto Gonzalez and Michael Gordon will serve as deputy general counsels.

QuestSoft, a provider of mortgage compliance software and services to lenders, recently announced that Jim Janczy has been appointed regional manager for the eastern part of the United States. A 15-year veteran of the mortgage banking industry, Janczy will focus on the continued sales of Compliance EAGLE, an end-to-end, automated compliance platform; HMDA RELIEF; CRA RELIEF; and other products within QuestSoft's lending compliance suite.

Consumer advocacy groups have been joined by federal lawmakers in their campaign against a mortgage lending rule change proposed by the Federal Reserve. The Fed has recommended revising a stipulation that allows homeowners to stop a foreclosure on the grounds that the lender violated disclosure requirements outlined in the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA). With consumers' rights at the forefront of regulatory reform, the Fed's decision is attracting criticism. A group of senators is calling the proposal ""unfortunate and unnecessary.""

As the backlog of foreclosures continues to drive down housing prices, losses on private-label residential mortgage backed securities (RMBS) will increase in 2011, according to Moody's. The forecast for more red ink seeping from home loans sold to investors comes despite the fact that the agency believes the rate at which loans become delinquent will decline during the year. Moody's expects flaws in foreclosure practices that have recently come to light to delay foreclosures by three to six months, further extending the window of losses for investors.

The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau established under the Dodd-Frank Act will be working closely with state regulators to supervise mortgage lenders and servicers. The Bureau's implementation team and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday that establishes a cooperative state and federal effort for the sharing of information related to the supervision and policing of companies that provide consumer financial services.

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller on Monday filed a petition asking the Indiana Supreme Court to impose new procedures for foreclosures filed in the state. Zoeller says with some mortgage lenders trying to foreclose on distressed homeowners by filing court documents that are unverified, unauthenticated, or riddled with errors, Indiana is not going to wait for the federal government to take action to ensure borrowers' rights are protected.

The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday approved an interim rule amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The board is issuing this interim rule, in response to public comments, to clarify certain aspects of a September 24th interim rule. The September rule implements provisions of the Mortgage Disclosure Improvement Act (MDIA), which amended TILA to require mortgage lenders to disclose examples of how a loan's interest rate or monthly payments can change.

After reviewing a report and recommendations presented to him, New Jersey Chief Justice Stuart Rabner announced on Monday a series of steps to protect the integrity of foreclosure filings in the state. The report featured a review of robo-signing irregularities by mortgage lenders and servicers and included analysis of actions other states had taken.

The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland has released a report detailing the urgent need for measures to stabilize the housing market. The author says to allow the housing market to languish without powerful policy prescriptions jeopardizes recovery not only for housing but for the larger economy as a whole. One prominent suggestion put forth is a mortgage product that would combine job loss and home price decline protection features into one arrangement between the borrower and lender.

In another attempt to save struggling homeowners from avoidable evictions, Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty has signed an emergency act that amends several sections of the District of Columbia Official Code. Most prominent in the new piece of legislation is the addition of a ""foreclosure mediation"" section, which has specific requirements banks must meet before proceeding with a foreclosure. Foreclosure sales resulting from a process that skipped a step or proceeded incorrectly will be considered void.