A big deal or ho-hum: Fannie Mae in late July said it will allow for shorter waiting periods involving mortgage debt charge-off accounts and mortgage debt that is discharged through a bankruptcy.
CFPB Making Its Presence Felt Among Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Servicers. Fannie Mae’s latest earning filing indicates the CFPB and/or the New York State Department of Financial Services have been reviewing the activities of Fannie Mae’s three largest non-depository servicers (which would be Nationstar, Ocwen and possibly Quicken Loans, according to the latest ranking by Inside Mortgage Finance, an affiliated publication). The scrutiny of Quicken Loans seems to be a new development. The bureau would not comment. Meanwhile, during the first half of 2014, Freddie Mac said in its second quarter earnings announcement that it implemented requirements for its seller/ servicers in response to some final rules from the CFPB, including rules concerning the requirements for borrowers’ ability to ...
The Office of Inspector General for the CFPB, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the National Credit Union Administration, and the Treasury Department are evaluating the coordination between the CFPB and other regulatory agencies in conducting supervisory activities, according to the CFPB OIG’s latest work plan. In June 2012, the CFPB and the prudential regulatory agencies issued a memorandum of understanding to clarify how the agencies will coordinate their supervisory activities. “The objective of the evaluation is to confirm that the required coordination is occurring and has been effective in avoiding conflicts or duplication of efforts,” the bureau’s OIG said. The evaluation is currently expected to be completed sometime during the third quarter of 2014. There are a handful of other ...
Last week, the CFPB warned consumers about the potential risks associated with “virtual” currencies such as Bitcoin, and indicated it is now accepting consumer complaints about such products and services. Potential issues with virtual currencies identified by the bureau include unclear costs, volatile exchange rates, the threat of hacking and scams, and the possibility that companies may not offer help or refunds for lost or stolen funds. “Virtual currencies may have potential benefits, but consumers need to be cautious and they need to be asking the right questions,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “Virtual currencies are not backed by any government or central bank, and at this point consumers are stepping into the Wild West when they engage in the ...
Industry insiders think it’s more likely the CFPB will promulgate a final rule on bank overdraft protection after the bureau released a report that found small debit card purchases often lead to expensive overdraft charges. The study found that the majority of debit card overdraft fees are incurred on transactions of $24 or less and that the majority of such overdrafts are repaid within three days. Put in lending terms, if a consumer borrowed $24 for three days and paid the median overdraft fee of $34, such a loan would carry a 17,000 percent annual percentage rate, according to the CFPB. The report “shows that consumers who opt in to overdraft coverage put themselves at serious risk when they use ...
CFPB Student Loan Ombudsman Rohit Chopra is raising the headline risk for banks that fail to be transparent about the campus financial product marketing agreements they have with colleges and universities. In a recent blog post alerting colleges and students about “secret banking contracts,” Chopra indicated the bureau has been mailing out letters to such educational institutions “to make sure they know that their bank partner has not yet committed to transparency when it comes to student financial products” because the financial institution has not yet posted its marketing agreement with the school on its website. Last year, the CFPB launched an inquiry into financial products marketed to college and university students to determine whether the market is working for...
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