Reps. Bill Huizenga, R-MI, and David Scott, D-GA, both members of the House Financial Services Committee, have reintroduced the Consumer Mortgage Choice Act, H.R.1077, legislation that would ease the definition of points and fees that the CFPB articulated in its ability-to-repay final rule issued in January. The definition is a key factor in determining whether a mortgage is a “qualified mortgage,” which requires that fees and points not exceed 3 percent. Currently, the definition would make hundreds of thousands of...

The CFPB now has the lion’s share of the oversight of the consumer debt collection market. Under the “larger participant” rule recently adopted by the CFPB, any firm with more than $10 million in annual receipts from consumer debt collection activities is now subject to the bureau’s supervisory authority. “This authority extends to about 175 debt collectors, which accounts for over 60 percent of the industry’s annual receipts in the consumer debt collection market,” the bureau said in its annual report to Congress on the Fair...

In a sign that fair lending enforcement may be about to flex its muscle in the auto finance sector, the CFPB last week issued a bulletin asserting the authority to hold indirect auto lenders accountable for illegal, discriminatory pricing markups, and providing guidance to such lenders within the bureau’s jurisdiction on how to appropriately handle fair lending risk. “Consumers should not have to pay more for a car loan simply based on their race,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. The bureau’s bulletin “clarifies...

With Senate Republican opposition to the structure of the CFPB showing no signs of faltering going into Congress’ spring break, speculation has begun to shift to what might happen at the bureau should the GOP again succeed in blockading Richard Cordray’s nomination as head of the bureau. The Democrat-controlled Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee last week approved, as expected, President Barack Obama’s nomination of Richard Cordray to be the director of the CFPB for a full, five-year term...

The National Labor Relations Board announced earlier this month that it will not seek en banc rehearing in Noel Canning v. NLRB, in which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia affirmed that President Barack Obama’s Jan. 4, 2012, recess appointments of three members to the board were unconstitutional. “The board, in consultation with the Department of Justice, intends to file a petition for certiorari with the United States Supreme Court for review of that decision,” the NLRB said. The petition is due...

As part of the budget, an amendment passed the Senate that would prevent any hike in g-fees for non-housing issues.

Who is Phyllis Caldwell, and why is she being mentioned for the FHFA job?

Even though the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is an independent agency, that doesn't mean it gets a pass on IG audits.

Some underwriters in the private mortgage insurance space are rolling out new technology in their efforts to reacquire market share lost to the FHA even as market tidal forces continue to shift in favor of private MIs. Radian Guaranty, a subsidiary of Radian Group, has introduced its MI rate finder application, Radian Rates, for Android smart phone devices on Google Play. Designed as a mobile version of the company’s existing online rate finder, Radian Rates checks eligibility, compares options and automatically calculates the MI rate depending on the ...