The Mortgage Bankers Association continues to forward to the CFPB questions and requests for clarifications on a number of issues related to the bureau’s integrated disclosure rule that have yet to be adequately addressed, such as changes to the Closing Disclosure (CD) after scheduled closing. “There are limited options under the rule, in the event a lender has provided a closing disclosure and closing is delayed for unforeseen circumstances outside the lender’s and/or the borrower’s control,” said the MBA in correspondence to the bureau. Similarly, there may be borrower and seller changes to the purchase terms. “Under the current rule and commentary, the lender apparently has no ability to provide a revised Loan Estimate (LE) or CD and re-compute the ...
CFPB Director Richard Cordray tried to reassure attendees at the National Association of Realtors’ trade expo last week that the impact of the bureau’s pending integrated disclosure rule isn’t going to be as dramatic as many fear – particularly the concern that the three-day disclosure requirement is going to delay loan closings. “The timing of the closing date is not going to change based on any problems you discover with the home on the final walk-through, even matters that may change some of the sales terms or require seller’s credits,” Cordray said. On the contrary, the bureau “listened carefully to your concerns” and limited the reasons for closing delays to only three narrow sets of circumstances. They are: any increases to ...
CFPB Director Richard Cordray continues to appear steadfast in his refusal to accommodate the mortgage industry by providing some sort of soft enforcement period for the new integrated disclosure rule, which is set to kick in Aug. 1, 2015. In a recent letter to Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, R-MO, one of the members of Congress who has been pressing the director for some kind of an enforcement grace period, Cordray was too discreet to come right out and say “no” to members of Congress. Instead, he told the congressman that the bureau shares his desire for “a smooth and successful implementation of the integrated disclosure rule, and we continue to work closely with all stakeholders to support that goal.” Cordray then ...
If one of the sponsors of the Dodd-Frank Act supports giving mortgage lenders an enforcement break when the CFPB’s integrated disclosure rule kicks in later this year, you know something serious is afoot. Such is indeed the case. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-CA, one of the original backers of Dodd-Frank, has crossed the partisan aisle in the House Financial Services Committee to join Rep. Steve Pearce, R-NM, in introducing H.R. 2213. Their bill would grant lenders a temporary safe harbor from enforcement of the rule integrating the required mortgage disclosures under the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. More specifically, H.R. 2213 would protect lenders from private lawsuits and regulatory enforcement actions through Dec. 31, 2015, ...
Several hard money lenders are involved in financing flippers, charging interest rates that are several percentage points above the going Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac rate.
Existence of the probe was mentioned in the same paragraph about the NY SEC investigating Ocwen’s business dealings with affiliate companies such as Altisource...
House GOP’s Proposed Budget Rejects IT Administrative Fee, HTF. House Republicans withheld funding for a proposed administrative fee, which the FHA planned to invest in technology to improve quality assurance and reduce paid-claims losses. The Department of Housing and Urban Development first requested authority to collect the fee in the President’s FY 2015 budget request but was turned down. It appears House Republicans are on track again to reject the proposed fee in the FY 2016 appropriations bill, said HUD Secretary Juan Castro. Castro lambasted the House Republicans’ proposed budget cuts, saying they would hinder HUD from carrying out its mission and from investing in communities that most need help. The GOP bill also rescinds funding to the proposed Housing Trust Fund, which allocates a small percentage of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac profits to ...
The Blackstone Group’s bid to acquire VA lender PMAC Mortgage, Chino Hills, CA, appears to have stalled. Talks between the two companies are now on hold and neither firm has commented. An industry source suggested that cash might not be the issue but a “clash of corporate cultures. PMAC Lending Services, which acquired Residential Financial Corp. last year, was ranked 61st on Inside FHA/VA Lending’s top 100 VA lenders in 2014. The company reported $328.2 million in total VA originations last year, reporting an 18.5 percent increase in the fourth quarter from the previous quarter and a 182.1 percent spike in loan volume year-over-year. It accounted for 0.3 percent of the VA market. Blackstone is a global investment firm with nearly $300 billion in assets under management. Last year, the company announced the hiring of 15,000 U.S. veterans across its portfolio companies in ...
An internal audit of the FHA/Home Affordable Modification Program’s partial-claim option uncovered flaws that cost taxpayers millions of dollars in ineligible claims. According to a recent report by the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of the Inspector General, HUD’s claim-payment controls were inadequate. As a result, the agency paid more than $22 million in unsupported claims and $103,925 in ineligible claims, the report concluded. Auditors said HUD did not design and implement strong safeguards to detect and prevent improper claims. Because of the flaws, the system allowed payment of more than one claim with a modification or FHA-HAMP option in a 24-month period, the report said. In addition, auditors found duplicate claims, partial claims in excess of 30 percent of the unpaid principal balance at initial default, and non-HAMP partial claims after HUD ...
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