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Inside the CFPB

November 14, 2016

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Trump Win Means CFPB Will Be Defanged. But Just How Much?

Last week’s surprise presidential victory by Republican billionaire real estate developer Donald Trump means some big changes for rulemaking and enforcement activities at the CFPB, to the benefit of the financial services industry, according to the consensus of a variety of analysts and experts. The most likely changes have to do with replacing the bureau’s single director leadership structure a bipartisan commission, and subjecting the agency to the congressional appropriations process. But the tenure of the current director, Richard Cordray, also could come into play, some feel. FBR & Co. analyst Edward Mills and his team predict the agency will have a new director “following the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling [involving PHH Corp.] that allows the president to ... Read More

TRID 2.0: The Comments: Rule Causes Tension to Flare Between Industry Factions

  Some of the public comments submitted to the CFPB regarding its TRID 2.0 clarifying rulemaking highlight tensions and rivalries that have emerged between different factions in the homebuying and mortgage-making industry since the original integrated disclosure rule took effect. In its comment letter on the bureau’s proposal, one point of emphasis that JPMorgan Chase raised is that lenders need better cooperation from settlement agents. “The success of the rule largely depends on the collaboration of a… Read More

CFPB Fueling Consolidation of Community Nonbanks, Group Says

The Community Home Lenders Association told the CFPB that the existence of the bureau as a dual regulator along with state supervision of nonbank lenders is exacerbating the consolidation of such community lenders to the detriment of consumers. “In establishing and implementing mortgage rules, Congress and the CFPB have recognized the value of smaller community lender/servicers and created certain targeted exemptions, such as certain Regulation Z and Regulation X exemptions for smaller servicers,” the CHLA said. The trade organization’s remarks were delivered in a public comment letter submitted to the agency as part of the bureau’s TRID clarifying rulemaking process. The problem is, these exemptions generally are targeted towards community banks and credit unions, and legislation pending in Congress is ... Read More

TRID 2.0 Poses Software Implementation Challenges

Implementing the changes that the CFPB is proposing to its TRID rule will involve the deployment of a considerable amount of resources, time and energy, software vendors told the bureau recently. In a comment letter sent to the bureau, DocMagic said that many of the agency’s proposed changes would require a substantial amount of reprogramming by not only technology vendors but also by creditors, investors and settlement agents. “In addition, each programming change would need to be tested to ensure the software integrations among the thousands of companies in the industry work properly,” the company said. DocMagic also pointed out that it operates SmartCLOSE, which is a collaborative closing portal that allows creditors and settlement agents to collaborate to complete ... Read More

GSEs Endorse Aspects of TRID That Support Uniform Closing Dataset

Government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently expressed support for those portions of the CFPB’s TRID clarifying rulemaking that facilitate their Uniform Closing Dataset, which they developed to support the accurate disclosure of data on the closing disclosure. “The GSEs believe that the bureau should retain the current status of the sample forms, specifically, as model forms under the Truth in Lending Act and standard forms under the rule pursuant to authority under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act,” Fannie and Freddie said in a recent comment letter to the bureau. “Much of the required text of the integrated disclosure is dynamic. It is not contained in the blank forms, and instead is only illustrated when the form is ... Read More

Industry Reps Ask CFPB to Further Clarify Mortgage Servicing Rules

The Consumer Mortgage Coalition and the Mortgage Servicers Working Group last week requested guidance from the CFPB on a variety of implementation issues having to do with the bureau’s recently finalized mortgage servicing regulation. One of the things they asked for in correspondence to the bureau was confirmation that servicers may send bankruptcy statements before the regulation’s effective date, even if the servicers are not currently sending them. On the issue of short-term loss mitigation, the industry participants requested clarification that, prior to Oct. 19, 2017, servicers may offer and provide short-term repayment plans without a complete loss mitigation application, and without continuing to exercise diligence in completing an application, provided a handful of requirements are otherwise being met. They ... Read More

CFPB Responds to Industry Call For Guidance on Service Providers

The CFPB has issued an amendment to its guidance on service providers, clarifying that mortgage lenders have a degree of flexibility in deciding the appropriate course of action for managing their risk. In its revised bulletin, the bureau began by noting that it “recognizes that the use of service providers is often an appropriate business decision for supervised banks and nonbanks. “Supervised banks and nonbanks may outsource certain functions to service providers due to resource constraints, use service providers to develop and market additional products or services, or rely on expertise from service providers that would not otherwise be available without significant investment,” it added. However, the mere fact that a supervised bank or nonbank enters into a business relationship ... Read More

Supervisory Report Highlights Mortgage Origination Failures

  The CFPB’s latest supervisory highlights report found instances of mortgage lender compliance management system (CMS) deficiencies, failure to verify total monthly income in determining a borrower’s ability to repay, and failure to provide timely disclosures. Regarding CMS deficiencies, bureau examiners concluded that the overall mortgage origination CMS at some institutions was weak because it allowed violations of a handful of various regulations to occur, the report stated. … Read More

CFPB Issues Some HMDA Data Reminders for the Coming Year

The CFPB’s latest supervisory highlights report provides some Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data collection and reporting reminders for 2017. For starters, beginning with HMDA data collected in 2017 and submitted in 2018, responsibility to receive and process HMDA data will transfer from the Federal Reserve Board to the CFPB. “The HMDA agencies have agreed that a covered institution filing HMDA data collected in or after 2017 with the CFPB will be deemed to have submitted the HMDA data to the appropriate federal agency,” the bureau stated. (The HMDA agencies are the CFPB, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., the Fed, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.) ... Read More

CFPB’s Enforcement, UDAAP Authority at Stake in PHH Case

The recent decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in the dispute between the CFPB and PHH Corp. has some significant enforcement implications for the bureau, according to a top compliance attorney. At stake in particular is the bureau’s authority to enforce federal consumer financial protection laws as well as the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) prohibition of unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP). In a recent client note, Barbara Mishkin, of counsel in the Philadelphia office of the Ballard Spahr law firm, noted that among the court’s findings was that the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act’s three-year statute of limitations (SOL) applies to the agency’s administrative enforcement actions. “Not only did ... Read More

In Brief: CFPB Calendar

Technical Changes to Electronic Fund Transfers Final Rule Take Effect. Last month, the CFPB released a final rule with correcting amendments to its Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E) final rule.... CFPB to Hold Field Hearing This Week on Consumer Access to Financial Records. The CFPB plans to conduct a field hearing Thursday, Nov. 17, on the topic of consumer access to financial records.... Read More

Other News in Brief

Vendor Provides TRID-Oriented Video Content. Fast Forward Stories, a Bellingham, WA, provider of “brand-able” video content for the mortgage, title and real estate industries, recently released a download-ready library of 26 mortgage explainer videos on the CFPB’s Truth in Lending Act/Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Integrated Disclosure Rule (TRID).... ICYMI: Here’s What Happens to Fines, Penalties Levied by the CFPB. A new report from the Government Accountability Office summarizes what happens to the fines and penalties the CFPB imposes on financial institutions for mortgage-related offenses, as follows ... Read More

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