Covid-19 Infobytes
Supreme Court blocks OSHA mandate
On January 13, a divided U.S. Supreme Court issued an order blocking a Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rule mandating that employers with 100 or more employees require employees to be fully vaccinated or be subject to a weekly Covid-19 test at their own...
InfoBytesTreasury issues final rule supporting the Covid-19 response
On January 6, the U.S. Treasury Department issued the final rule for the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) program, which was established under the American Rescue Plan Act, and has delivered approximately $350 billion to state, local, and Tribal governments for Covid-19 pandemic relief...
InfoBytesVA extends suspension of certain property inspection requirements for Covid-19 forbearance cases
On December 21, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued Circular 26-21-27 to extend the suspension of certain inspection requirements for properties purchased with loans guaranteed by the VA where the borrower has been negatively impacted by Covid-19. In 2020, the VA temporarily suspended...
InfoBytesCFPB examines pandemic’s effects on consumer finances
On December 21, the CFPB released a data point report discussing the results of a Making Ends Meet survey, which examined consumers’ financial health during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using the results from the survey as well associated credit bureau data, the Bureau found that while consumers “were...
InfoBytesEducation Dept. extends student loan moratorium
On December 22, the Department of Education announced a 90-day extended pause on student loan repayment, interest, and collections through May 1, 2022, which will allow the Biden Administration “to assess the impacts of the Omicron variant on student borrowers and provide additional time for...
InfoBytesStates say FHA must require servicers to comply with Covid-19 loss mitigation options
On December 21, a coalition of attorneys general from 20 states and the District of Columbia sent a letter to the FHA urging the agency to address mortgage servicers’ alleged failure to adequately implement Covid-19 recovery loss mitigation options for eligible borrowers. As previously covered by...
InfoBytesNCUA extends Covid-19 regulatory relief
On December 21, the NCUA unanimously approved an extension to the effective date of a temporary final rule, which granted regulatory relief to federally insured credit unions during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the NCUA issued the final rule to temporarily raise “the maximum aggregate amount of...
InfoBytes6th Circuit: OSHA required testing is allowed
On December 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit lifted the stay on the federal government’s rule requiring employers with 100 or more employees to ensure their employees are vaccinated against Covid-19 or be subjected to weekly Covid-19 testing. As previously covered by InfoBytes ,...
InfoBytesFTC proposes rule to combat impersonation fraud
On December 16, the FTC issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) seeking comments on a wide-range of questions related to government and business impersonation fraud. According to the FTC, reported losses due to impersonation fraud have spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, with data...
InfoBytesCFPB, DOJ remind on servicemember protections
On December 20, the CFPB and the DOJ issued two joint letters reminding mortgage servicers and landlords to ensure that military homeowners and tenants are safeguarded during the Covid-19 pandemic and benefit equally as the U.S. economically recovers. One letter was sent to landlords and other...
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