Although loan production is down this year, that isn’t stopping some lenders from moving forward with expansion plans.

The CFPB recently dropped its RESPA-related investigation of Zillow, deciding not to bring enforcement charges against the online real estate database firm, according to a new public filing. At issue was Zillow’s co-marketing program, which allows real estate agents and lenders to advertise together on the firm’s website. As part of the launch, Zillow had boasted that its “premier agents” can invite lenders to share marketing costs. “Lenders get featured next to the agents on Zillow ...

Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney has emerged as a leading candidate to become President Trump’s next chief of staff. Now, the big question: Will it actually happen? The speculation regarding Mulvaney and the White House chief of staff job, however, is not new. In February of this year, Mulvaney was said to be Trump’s top pick for the position, but nothing happened. “I remember he was rumored to be a candidate last time [John] Kelly was in trouble,” said one former ...

Leandra English, deputy director of the CFPB, announced late last week she will resign from the agency early this week, ending her legal fight to become the bureau’s acting chief. English said she made the decision “in light of the recent nomination of a new director,” according to a statement posted on the Twitter account of English’s attorney, Deepak Gupta. Gupta also posted a statement saying he and English will bring to an end a pending case that ...

The CFPB asked Citibank to pay $335 million to credit card customers who did not receive legally mandated interest rate reductions as part of a recent legal settlement, but the agency – interestingly – did not fine the bank for its misconduct. The bureau said it did not assess civil money penalties based on the fact that “Citibank self-identified and self-reported the violations to the bureau, and self-initiated remediation on affected consumers.” It’s not the first time the ...

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, a one-time presidential candidate, recently blasted Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney, calling him “Trump’s chief hatchet man extraordinaire.” Nader referred to Trump’s top aide as “easily one of the cruelest, most vicious presidential henchman in modern American history,” saying nowhere has Mulvaney “been more blatant about his ugly mission than in his efforts to freeze and dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection ...

The CFPB announced it will release guidance later this summer to provide exemptions to smaller financial institutions under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. The regulatory relief comes from the Dodd-Frank reform act – the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act – signed into law in May. The new law exempts depository institutions and credit unions that originated fewer than 500 closed-end mortgage loans or 500 open-end lines of ...

In response to the CFPB’s request for information on regulatory guidance, a number of industry trade groups expressed their belief that such guidance, when issued, should be legally binding. Currently, the CFPB uses disclaimers on non-rule guidance, which means the advice given is only intended to aid understanding and implementation. Many industry groups said the disclaimers undermine the value of the guidance. “The broader and more extensive a disclaimer ...

Industry groups are calling on the CFPB to provide clarification of fair lending standards under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act as it applies to disparate impact, according to recently filed comment letters on inherited regulations. Among other things, lenders are asking the CFPB to review its use of disparate impact based on a Supreme Court of the United States’ decision in Inclusive Communities. The case established a framework for the application of disparate impact ...