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  • FHA proposes updates to HECM program

    Federal Issues

    On November 1, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) proposed updates to FHA’s Home Equity Conversion Mortgage Program that are intended to address a number of servicing issues where existing program requirements have conflicted with HUD’s policy objectives.  FHA is requesting public feedback. Key changes include the following:

    • Allowing mortgage servicers to contact borrowers by phone to verify occupancy for the program’s required annual occupancy certification;
    • Allowing outstanding homeowner’s association dues to be included in the calculation of a repayment plan for borrowers who are behind on their HECM financial obligations;
    • Expanding the ability of mortgage servicers to work with borrowers who are behind on their property tax or hazard insurance by an amount up to $5,000 without calling the mortgage due and payable;
    • Allowing mortgage servicers to assign a HECM to HUD after the servicer has funded a cure for a borrower’s delinquent financial obligations so long as the borrower has made all property charge payments for one year and all other assignment eligibility criteria are met;
    • Streamlining requirements for executing alternatives to foreclosure and updating existing incentive payments for successful completion of loss mitigation options; and
    • Providing a new incentive payment to mortgage servicers for completing these alternatives.

    Federal Issues FHA Consumer Finance Home Equity Loans Mortgage Servicing HECM HUD

  • California AG announces settlement with mortgage servicer

    State Issues

    On September 1, California Attorney General (AG) Rob Bonta announced a settlement with a mortgage servicer for its alleged failure to properly process and grant mortgage deferment requests from California military reservists called to active duty. California’s Military and Veterans Code, which includes the California Military Families Financial Relief Act, allows reservists to delay paying mortgages, credit cards, property taxes, car loans, utility bills, and student loans. To defer payment, they must submit a written request and their military orders to the entity to which their payments are due. The AG noted that the California Department of Justice investigated the mortgage servicer’s processes for handling mortgage deferment requests and found that the servicer delayed granting the deferment requests, requested information for eligibility review outside of the 30-day timeframe to do so, and improperly denied deferment requests, on at least 10 occasions. Furthermore, the servicer allegedly attempted to collect payment from some borrowers during the requested deferral period by making calls and sending notices that warned that the servicer would foreclose on the borrowers’ properties if they failed to pay. The servicer also allegedly incorrectly charged some borrowers late fees and other charges for nonpayment of payments that should have been deferred. Finally, the servicer allegedly provided incorrect negative credit information to credit reporting agencies.

    Under the terms of the settlement, the servicer agreed to, among other things, (i) pay $58,000 in civil money penalties; (ii) “remediate consumer harm”; (iii) disclose deferment request status to borrowers; and (iv) provide annual reports to the AG documenting compliance with the injunctive terms.

    State Issues Settlement State Attorney General California Consumer Finance Mortgage Servicing Military Lending

  • CFPB issues Summer ’23 supervisory highlights

    Federal Issues

    On July 26, the CFPB released its Summer 2023 issue of Supervisory Highlights, which covers enforcement actions in areas such as auto origination, auto servicing, consumer reporting, debt collection, deposits, fair lending, information technology, mortgage origination, mortgage servicing, payday lending and remittances from June 2022 through March 2023. The Bureau noted significant findings regarding unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts or practices and findings across many consumer financial products, as well as new examinations on nonbanks.

    • Auto Origination: The CFPB examined auto finance origination practices of several institutions and found deceptive marketing of auto loans. For example, loan advertisements showcased cars larger and newer than the products for which actual loan offers were available, which misled consumers.
    • Auto Servicing: The Bureau’s examiners identified unfair and abusive practices at auto servicers related to charging interest on inflated loan balances resulting from fraudulent inclusion of non-existent options. It also found that servicers collected interest on the artificially inflated amounts without refunding consumers for the excess interest paid. Examiners further reported that auto servicers engaged in unfair and abusive practices by canceling automatic payments without sufficient notice, leading to missed payments and late fee assessments. Additionally, some servicers allegedly engaged in cross-collateralization, requiring consumers to pay other unrelated debts to redeem their repossessed vehicles.
    • Consumer Reporting: The Bureau’s examiners found that consumer reporting companies failed to maintain proper procedures to limit furnishing reports to individuals with permissible purposes. They also found that furnishers violated regulations by not reviewing and updating policies, neglecting reasonable investigations of direct disputes, and failing to notify consumers of frivolous disputes or provide accurate address disclosures for consumer notices.
    • Debt Collection: The CFPB's examinations of debt collectors (large depository institutions, nonbanks that are larger participants in the consumer debt collection market, and nonbanks that are service providers to certain covered persons) uncovered violations of the FDCPA and CFPA, such as unlawful attempts to collect medical debt and deceptive representations about interest payments.
    • Deposits: The CFPB's examinations of financial institutions revealed unfair acts or practices related to the assessment of both nonsufficient funds and line of credit transfer fees on the same transaction. The Bureau reported that this practice resulted in double fees being charged for denied transactions.
    • Fair Lending: Recent examinations through the CFPB's fair lending supervision program found violations of ECOA and Regulation B, including pricing discrimination in granting pricing exceptions based on competitive offers and discriminatory lending restrictions related to criminal history and public assistance income.
    • Information Technology: Bureau examiners found that certain institutions engaged in unfair acts by lacking adequate information technology security controls, leading to cyberattacks and fraudulent withdrawals from thousands of consumer accounts, causing substantial harm to consumers.
    • Mortgage Origination: Examiners found that certain institutions violated Regulation Z by differentiating loan originator compensation based on product types and failing to accurately reflect the terms of the legal obligation on loan disclosures.
    • Mortgage Servicing: Examiners identified UDAAP and regulatory violations at mortgage servicers, including violations related to loss mitigation timing, misrepresenting loss mitigation application response times, continuity of contact procedures, Spanish-language acknowledgment notices, and failure to provide critical loss mitigation information. Additionally, some servicers reportedly failed to credit payments sent to prior servicers after a transfer and did not maintain policies to identify missing information after a transfer.
    • Payday Lending: The CFPB identified unfair, deceptive, and abusive acts or practices, including unreasonable limitations on collection communications, false collection threats, unauthorized wage deductions, misrepresentations regarding debt payment impact, and failure to comply with the Military Lending Act. The report also highlighted that lenders reportedly failed to retain evidence of compliance with disclosure requirements under Regulation Z. In response, the Bureau directed lenders to cease deceptive practices, revise contract language, and update compliance procedures to ensure regulatory compliance.
    • Remittances: The CFPB evaluated both depository and non-depository institutions for compliance with the EFTA and its Regulation E, including the Remittance Rule. Examiners found that some institutions failed to develop written policies and procedures to ensure compliance with the Remittance Rule's error resolution requirements, using inadequate substitutes or policies without proper implementation.

    Federal Issues CFPB Consumer Finance Consumer Protection Auto Lending Examination Mortgages Mortgage Servicing Mortgage Origination Supervision Nonbank UDAAP FDCPA CFPA ECOA Regulation Z Payday Lending EFTA Unfair Deceptive Abusive

  • Missouri will regulate lender-placed insurance

    State Issues

    On July 7, the Missouri governor signed SB 101 (the “Act”) into law, amending several provisions relating to property and casualty insurance, including requirements for lender-placed insurance. The Act defines “lender-placed insurance” as insurance secured by the lender/servicer when the mortgagor does not have valid or sufficient insurance on a mortgaged real property, and will include “insurance purchased unilaterally by the lender or servicer, who is the named insured, subsequent to the date of the credit transaction, providing coverage against loss, expense, or damage to collateralized property as a result of fire, theft, collision, or other risks of loss” that impairs such lender/servicer’s interest or adversely impacts the collateral, where such purchase is a result of a mortgagor’s failure to obtain required insurance under a mortgage agreement. Among other things, the Act stipulates that lender-placed insurance is not effective until the date a mortgaged real property is not insured, and that individual lender-placed insurance terminates on the earliest date out of listed periods. Also specified is that mortgagors cannot be charged for the policies outside of the scheduled term of the lender-placed insurance. The Act further states that the calculation of the lender-placed insurance premium “should be based upon the replacement cost value of the property,” and outlines how the premium should be determined. All insurers shall have separate rates for lender-placed insurance and voluntary insurance obtained by a mortgage servicer on real estate owned property, as defined in the Act.

    Further regarding lender-placed insurance, the Act prohibits: (i) “insurers and insurance producers from issuing lender-placed insurance if they or one of their affiliates owns, performs servicing for, or owns the servicing right to, the mortgaged property;” (ii) “insurers and insurance producers from compensating lenders, insurers, investors, or servicers for lender-placed insurance policies issued by the insurer, and from sharing premiums or risk with the lender, investor, or servicer;” (iii) “payments dependent on profitability or loss ratios from being made in connection with lender-placed insurance;” (iv) [insurers from] provid[ing] free or below-cost services or outsourc[ing] its own functions at an above-cost basis”; and (v) [insurers from] mak[ing] any payments for the purpose of securing lender-placed insurance business or related services.

    The Act requires lender-placed insurance policy forms and certificates to be mailed and filed with the Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance and stipulates the requirements for insurers who must report information to the department as well. Lastly, the Act specifies potential penalties for violations of the Act, including monetary penalties and suspension or revocation of an insurer’s license. The Act becomes effective on August 28.

    State Issues State Legislation Missouri Lender Placed Insurance Mortgages Mortgage Servicing Consumer Finance

  • CFPB says it wants to simplify rules on mortgage servicing

    Federal Issues

    On June 15, CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said the Bureau is considering whether to streamline mortgage servicing rules. Last September, the Bureau requested input from the public on mortgage refinance and forbearance standards and sought feedback on ways to reduce risks for borrowers who experience disruptions in their ability to make mortgage payments. (Covered by InfoBytes here.) Specifically, the Bureau sought ways to: (i) “facilitate mortgage refinances for consumers who would benefit from refinancing, especially consumers with smaller loan balances”; and (ii) “reduce risks for consumers who experience disruptions in their financial situation that could interfere with their ability to remain current on their mortgage payments.”

    Chopra flagged several issues raised by commenters, including that borrowers seeking loss mitigation options can face a “paperwork treadmill” that disadvantages both homeowners and mortgage servicers. Commenters also reported that borrowers often incur servicing fees and experience negative credit reporting when waiting for servicers to review their options, Chopra said, explaining that even after a loss mitigation option has been implemented, these penalties can continue to negatively impact borrowers (such as preventing loan modifications and other interventions designed to allow borrowers to keep their homes). 

    Chopra said the Bureau intends to use the feedback to propose ways to streamline servicing standards but noted that the agency “will propose streamlining only if it would promote greater agility on the part of mortgage servicers in responding to future economic shocks while also continuing to ensure they meet their obligations for assisting borrowers promptly and fairly.”

    Federal Issues CFPB Consumer Finance Mortgages Mortgage Servicing Forbearance Loss Mitigation

  • North Dakota establishes requirements for residential mortgage servicers

    On April 12, the North Dakota governor signed HB 1068, which outlines provisions relating to residential mortgage loan servicers. The Act provides that a person may not engage in residential mortgage loan servicing in the state without being licensed by the commissioner. This applies to servicers, subservicers, or a mortgage servicing rights investor. “A person engages in residential mortgage loan servicing in the state if the borrower resides in North Dakota,” the Act explains. Exempt from licensure are financial institutions, state or federal housing finance agencies, institutions chartered by the farm credit administration, and not-for-profit mortgage servicers. The Act outlines application and fee requirements and specifies financial conditions for applicants and licensees. Large mortgage servicers must also abide by certain corporate governance conditions, including the establishment of a board of directors responsible for oversight and compliance monitoring. These licensees must also obtain external audits and establish risk management programs.

    The Act outlines prohibited acts and practices and grants authority to the Department of Financial Institutions to promulgate rules and regulations to enforce the law and power to carry out the provisions, including through orders and injunctions. The commissioner will also oversee the licensure process, including provisions concerning the expiration, renewal, revocation, suspension, and surrender of licenses, and may issue orders suspending and removing residential mortgage loan servicer officers and employees. The commissioner may also conduct investigations and examinations and impose civil money penalties of not more than $100,000 for each occurrence and $1,000 per day for each day that the violation continues after issuance of an order. Licensees may appeal by filing a written notice within 20 days after the assessment of a civil money penalty. The Act is effective August 1.

    Licensing State Issues State Legislation North Dakota Mortgages Mortgage Servicing

  • District Court dismisses RESPA claims that servicer failed on QWRs

    Courts

    The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington recently ruled on a loan servicer’s motion for summary judgment concerning claims that the servicer violated RESPA when it failed to respond to multiple qualified written requests (QWR) alleging account errors and improperly reported alleged delinquencies to credit reporting agencies (CRAs). Plaintiffs executed a promissory note and deed of trust, and later entered into a Chapter 11 bankruptcy plan to modify the terms of the loan. Plaintiffs sued, asserting violations of RESPA and various state laws, claiming, among other things, that the servicer failed to timely respond to their QWRs, provided false information to CRAs, and failed to adjust the loan to reflect the modified payment schedule from the bankruptcy plan.

    The court granted summary judgment in favor of the servicer. On the QWR-related allegations, the court found that, “while the [plaintiffs] say that [the servicer] did not address the issues raised in the QWRs, their brief does not identify a single issue that went unaddressed. . . Their brief does not, for example, point to a request in any QWR that went unanswered in [the servicer’s] corresponding response. Merely providing a laundry list of documents—without specifically identifying how [the servicer’s] responses were incomplete—is insufficient.” The court also found that the plaintiffs failed to show that the servicer’s responses were misleading, confusing, or incorrect. Though the plaintiffs provided a list of statements made by the servicer when responding to the QWRs, plaintiffs failed to explain what exactly was inaccurate or confusing about the servicer’s responses, the court said.

    While the court flagged one possible inconsistency in at least one of the servicer’s responses (where the servicer incorrectly stated the monthly principal amount due but corrected the mistake less than a month later), the court determined that “this alone does not suffice under RESPA.”

    With respect to plaintiffs’ allegations of false credit reporting, the court concluded that there was no evidence that the servicer submitted negative information about plaintiffs to a CRA, nor did the plaintiffs demonstrate how any such reports hurt their credit or identify whether the reports were filed within RESPA’s 60-day non-reporting period. Under RESPA, a servicer is prohibited from providing certain information regarding “any overdue payment, owed by such borrower and relating to such period or qualified written request, to any consumer reporting agency” during the 60-day period beginning on the date the servicer receives a QWR. The court further noted that the plaintiffs failed to show that they suffered actual damages “flowing from” the alleged RESPA violations, which is a requirement of the statute.

    The court granted summary judgment on the RESPA claims in favor of the servicer and remanded the remaining state-law claims to state court.

    Courts RESPA Consumer Finance Mortgages Mortgage Servicing Qualified Written Request Credit Reporting Agency State Issues

  • FHA proposes earlier HECM claim submissions

    Agency Rule-Making & Guidance

    On April 4, FHA issued FHA Info 2023-25, announcing proposed changes to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) program and documentation requirements for certain submission criteria. FHA explained that the documentation changes would apply to HECM Assignment Claim Type 22, which “is an option that allows a HECM servicer to assign a mortgage that is in good standing to FHA in exchange for payment of the loan balance, up to the maximum claim amount.” Specifically, the proposal would allow servicers to start submitting claim documentation for preliminary FHA review when a mortgage reaches 97 percent of the maximum claim amount (MCA), versus the 97.5 percent currently allowed. The change is intended “to expedite the payment of claim funds when the mortgage reaches 98 percent of the MCA, to mortgage servicers in light of current market liquidity considerations.” The proposal would also establish that the deadline for mortgagees to deliver original notes and mortgages to FHA is 90 days after the assignment claim payment date, and would align the deadline for delivering recorded assignments of mortgage for all HECMS by increasing the timeline to 12 months for HECMs with FHA case numbers assigned before September 19, 2017. Comments on the proposal are due April 11.

    Agency Rule-Making & Guidance Federal Issues FHA Mortgages HECM Mortgage Servicing

  • FHFA expands deferral policies for hardships

    Federal Issues

    On March 29, FHFA announced enhanced payment deferral policies for borrowers facing financial hardships. Under the newly enhanced policies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will allow borrowers to defer up to six months of mortgage payments, enabling borrowers “to keep the same monthly mortgage payment by moving past-due amounts to the end of the loan as a non-interest bearing balance, due and payable at maturity, sale, refinance, or payoff.” Fannie and Freddie will work with servicers to implement the enhanced payment deferral policies, which carry a voluntary adoption date of July 1, and a mandatory adoption date of October 1.

    Recognizing that the more than one million Covid-19 payment deferrals completed by Fannie and Freddie during the pandemic helped borrowers stay in their homes, FHFA Director Sandra L. Thompson said the agency is making the payment deferral policies a key part of its standard loss mitigation toolkit that is available to all borrowers with eligible hardships.

    Federal Issues FHFA Consumer Finance Mortgages Covid-19 Loss Mitigation Fannie Mae Freddie Mac Mortgage Servicing

  • Montana amends mortgage servicing laws

    On February 16, the Montana governor signed HB 30, which amends certain provisions of the state’s mortgage laws. Among other things, the act outlines provisions related to financial condition requirements, model state regulatory prudential standards for nonbank mortgage servicers, risk assessments, and licensee reporting requirements. The act also permits remote work provided certain conditions are met, including that a licensee’s employees and independent contractors do not meet with the public in an unlicensed personal residence, business records are not stored at the remote locations, appropriate security measures are put in place to ensure the confidentiality of customer information, and the NMLS record reflects the designation of a properly licensed location as the mortgage loan originator’s official workstation. In addition, the act amends provisions related to the denial of a licensee’s application or renewal, and updates designated manager and branch office licensing requirements to account for the remote location allowance. The act further provides the Department of Administration (acting through the Division of Banking and Financial Institutions) with rulemaking authority for addressing the revocation or suspension of licenses for cause, investigations into alleged violations, and fees, among other things. Additional amendments address the sharing of confidential supervisory information with state and federal financial regulators. Exempt from the act’s requirements are not-for-profit servicers and housing financing agencies, while servicers solely involved in reverse mortgage servicing are exempt from certain portions of the act. Similarly, servicers with 25 or fewer loans, or servicers wholly owned and controlled by one or more state- or federally-regulated depository institutions are also exempt from certain portions of the act. A servicer that is also licensed as an escrow business may apply to waive or adjust certain financial condition requirements. The act is effective July 1.

    Licensing State Issues Mortgages State Legislation Montana Nonbank Mortgage Servicing NMLS

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