The CFPB recently announced that it is revising the methodology used to determine average prime offer rates (APORs).  The revised methodology is available on the website of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC). Both the revised methodology and prior methodology are available on the FFIEC website.

The CFPB has used information from the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS) on three products (30-year fixed-rate mortgages, 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, and five-year variable-rate Mortgages), and pricing data from CFPB’s own internal survey on one-year variable-rate mortgages, to calculate APORs on a weekly basis for various loan products. … Continue Reading

The CFPB’s Office of Research recently issued a blog post regarding its analyses of the impacts of higher mortgage interest rates on borrowers and potential homebuyers.  The analyses are based on first and second quarter Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data filed by the 55 mortgage lenders that are required, based on their high volume of mortgage lending, to collect and submit HMDA data on a quarterly basis. … Continue Reading

The CFPB recently issued a report entitled Data Point: Asian American and Pacific Islanders in the Mortgage Market. The report briefly examines differences among subgroups of Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) based on the 2020 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data. In issuing the report the CFPB stated that “[e]xisting studies often portray AAPI borrowers as similar in characteristics to non-Hispanic White borrowers and thus imply that the group fares well.… Continue Reading

The CFPB recently issued an update to its Truth in Lending Act (TILA)/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule FAQs to address a partial exemption added by the Building Up Independent Lives and Dreams Act (BUILD Act) that became law in January 2021.

Before the adoption of the BUILD Act, Regulation Z under TILA already included a partial exemption from the Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure requirements of the TRID rule for subordinate housing assistance loans that met certain conditions.… Continue Reading

Although HMDA reporting institutions are busily working on their submission of 2020 data, the CFPB recently announced the availability of a beta version of the HMDA reporting platform for 2021 data. (As previously reported, in early January 2021 the CFPB announced the availability of the platform for the submission of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data collected in 2020.)… Continue Reading

The CFPB recently announced that the platform for the submission of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data collected in 2020 is now available for the submission of the data. The platform may be accessed here. HMDA data for 2020 must be submitted on or before March 1, 2021.

A beta testing version of the platform also is now available and may be accessed here.… Continue Reading

The CFPB recently released a regulatory and reporting overview reference chart for Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data to be collected in 2021. The CFPB notes that the chart is intended to be used as a reference tool for data points required to be collected, recorded, and reported under the HMDA rules, set forth in Regulation C, as amended through April 16, 2020.… Continue Reading

The CFPB recently issued Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) addressing the referral fee and fee splitting prohibitions under Section 8 of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). The CFPB also rescinded its Compliance Bulletin 2015-05, RESPA Compliance and Marketing Services Agreements.

As previously reported, Bulletin 2015-05 is a good example of the adage “Be careful what you ask for, you may get it.”… Continue Reading