As 2016 drew to a close, various industry officials were busy making the case for legislation that would alter the structure of the CFPB and clip its wings as part of a strategy to scale back the Dodd-Frank Act and provide lenders with significant regulatory relief. Industry officials are confident they will encounter a more sympathetic White House with Donald Trump as the occupant. Analysts with Compass Point Research & Trading believe a number of important issues will be addressed as part of the final legislative regulatory relief package, including governance changes shifting the CFPB, as well as the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, into commission structures. They also expect to see ...
Mortgage-related issues will be a big component of the CFPB’s fair lending priorities for 2017, the bureau indicated in an online blog post late last year. Among the issues for the mortgage industry are redlining and servicing. “While the bureau has taken important strides in our efforts to protect consumers from credit discrimination and broaden access to credit, we continue to identify new and emerging fair lending risks and we will monitor institutions for compliance,” said Patrice Ficklin, associate director of the CFPB’s Office of Fair Lending. Going forward, then, the bureau is increasing its focus in three key areas, the first of which is redlining. “We will continue to evaluate whether lenders have intentionally avoided lending in minority neighborhoods,” ...