As previously reported, bills were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 7297) and U.S. Senate (S. 3502) to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to curtail the practice of trigger leads with mortgage loans. Recently, a diverse group sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs expressing support for the bills.… Continue Reading

As previously reported, in November 2022 the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a proposal to update its rules for interest rate reduction refinancing loans (often referred to as “IRRRLs”) to conform with VA loan refinance provisions in the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, which was enacted in 2018, and the Protecting Affordable Mortgages for Veterans Act of 2019.… Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) recently issued Circular 26-23-10, Change 1, Circular 26-24-5 and an Exhibit to address fees that may be imposed in connection with the assumption of a VA-guaranteed home loan.

The VA advises in the Circulars that the holder or servicer of a VA-guaranteed home loan with automatic authority may charge an assumption processing fee not to exceed $300.… Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced a Payment Supplement loss mitigation program for Federal Housing Administration (FHA) insured Title 2 mortgage loans, the details of which are set forth in Mortgagee Letter 2024-02. Mortgage servicers may begin implementing the Payment Supplement on May 1, 2024, but must implement the solution for all eligible borrowers by January 1, 2025.… Continue Reading

On February 16, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Center (“FinCEN”) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPRM”) regarding residential real estate.  The final version of the NPRM published in the Federal Register is 47 pages long.  We have created a separate document which more clearly sets forth the proposed regulations themselves, at 31 C.F.R.… Continue Reading

As previously reported, in 2023 bills were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 4198) and the U.S. Senate (S. 3502) to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to curtail the practice of trigger leads with mortgage loans. While the goals of the bills are the same, the language of the bills differ.… Continue Reading

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued a press release announcing a 2023 update to its Equity Action Plan. The Equity Action Plan is part of HUD’s efforts to implement President Biden’s Executive Order on “Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government.”… Continue Reading

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) recently issued a statement of principles related to valuation discrimination and bias for member entities to consider in their consumer compliance and safety and soundness examinations. The member entities of the FFIEC are the Comptroller of the Currency, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Board, National Credit Union Administration and the FFIEC State Liaison Committee.… Continue Reading

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Patriot Bank (Patriot or Bank) has agreed to pay $1.9 million to resolve allegations that the Bank engaged in a pattern or practice of redlining majority-Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Memphis, Tennessee from 2015 to at least 2020, in violation of the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA).… Continue Reading

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently published another FHFA Insights blog post addressing the underutilization of appraisal time adjustments by appraisers that is a companion to an FHFA Insights blog post that we reported on previously. In the recent blog post, the FHFA presents the question “Is the racial disparity in underappraisal, or some portion of it, due to racial disparities in the practice of time adjustment?”… Continue Reading