A proposal from House Republicans to treat mortgage loans held in a bank’s portfolio as qualified mortgages received divergent reviews at a recent hearing by the House Financial Services Committee.The proposal was included in the Financial CHOICE Act sponsored by Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-TX. Treating mortgages in bank portfolios as QMs would provide QM status to loans that would otherwise fail to meet those standards, including interest-only products and mortgages not eligible for sale to the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac because the debt-to-income ratios are above 43.0 percent. Adam Levitin, a professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center, said the Financial CHOICE Act would “eviscerate” consumer protections in mortgage lending.