Tag Archives: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

One of the biggest provisions of the QM rule is the newly set Ability-to-Repay rule, which demands that all new mortgages comply with basic requirements to protect consumers from taking on loans they can't repay. The rule does away with so-called ""no doc"" and ""low doc"" mortgages, requiring that all of a borrower's pertinent financial information must be supplied and verified. The Ability-to-Repay rule also stipulates that lenders base their evaluation of a consumer's ability to pay on long-term views, discounting ""teaser"" or ""starter"" rates typically used in the introductory period.

While the mortgage market continues its slow trod toward recovery--with distressed liquidations and delinquencies on the decline--industry participants await the final word from lawmakers on one key issue affecting the future of their businesses. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has expressed its intent to announce its final decision on what constitutes a qualified mortgage this year. This, in turn, will give the industry some insight into what can be expected to define a qualified residential mortgage (QRM), according to Fitch Ratings.

Even though credit scores play a key role in whether or not a person can be approved for a mortgage loan, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report revealing only one in five people actually obtain a copy of their credit report each year. In addition, these overlooked reports that are important in the lending process could also contain errors that go unchallenged. When consumers did dispute information on their credit report, the CFPB found that nearly 40 percent of the disputes dealt with debt in collections.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) put a stop to two companies it believes took part in mortgage modification scams that cheated thousands struggling homeowners. The CFPB alleges Gordon Law Firm and the National Legal Help Center amassed more than $10 million after charging consumers for services that falsely promised to stop foreclosures or provide modifications.

Two federal agencies partnered up to let certain companies know their mortgage advertising tactics may be unlawful. On Monday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced letters were issued over potentially misleading advertisements that target veterans and older Americans. The CFPB sent about a dozen warning letters to mortgage lenders and brokers, and the FTC sent 20 letters to real estate agents, home builders, and lead generators.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced Friday it's granting more time for the industry to implement new mortgage disclosures required under Dodd-Frank and the Consumer Protection Act. The extension was provided ""in order to allow a more seamless integration with other mortgage disclosures that have been proposed by the Bureau,"" the CFPB said in a statement.

The National Association of Federal Credit Unions expressed its opposition to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposed rule on mortgage application and settlement disclosures. The association asserted Tuesday in a letter to the federal agency that the rule places undue regulatory burdens on credit unions and will likely cause some institutions to leave the mortgage market altogether.

Even though President Obama and Governor Romney were criticized for evading housing issues when running for president, Clear Capital asserts the ""sprint"" in housing still spoke positively for Obama and assisted him in his recent re-election. But, now that Obama has won a second term, his administration is charged with leading phase two of the housing recovery, and this will happen by collaborating with the industry to reduce regulatory uncertainty, according to a Clear Capital report.

The mortgage market may be the largest market for consumer finance, but the sector lacks a comprehensive national database, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). This is why the federal agencies are coming together to create a national mortgage database. Borrower profiles, payment history, and the mortgage product and terms will be included in the database, which will be updated monthly.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a Supervisory Highlights report Wednesday, providing an overview of its supervisory actions between July 2011 and September 2012. The agency found several instances in which financial institutions did not adhere to federal consumer financial laws. With regard to the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), the CFPB noted instances in which institutions did not properly disclose transaction costs and did not properly complete good faith estimates and HUD-1 settlement statements.