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Biden nominates Sandra L. Thompson as FHFA Director
On December 14, President Biden nominated Sandra L. Thompson to serve as FHFA Director. Thompson has served as acting Director since June following the U.S. Supreme Court’s split decision in Collins v. Yellen, which held that it was unconstitutional for FHFA’s leadership structure to only allow the President to fire the FHFA director for cause. (Covered by InfoBytes here.)
According to the announcement, Thompson’s “over four decades of government experience in financial regulation, risk management, and consumer protection” includes previously serving as Deputy Director of FHFA’s Division of Housing Mission and Goals where she oversaw the agency’s housing and regulatory policy, capital policy, financial analysis, and fair lending space, as well as all mission activities for the GSEs and the Federal Home Loan Banks. Thompson also worked for more than 23 years at the FDIC where she served in a variety of leadership positions. Her most recent position at the FDIC was Director of the Division of Risk Management Supervision. Thompson also led the FDIC’s “examination and enforcement program for risk management and consumer protection at the height of the financial crisis” and “the FDIC’s outreach initiatives in response to a crisis of consumer confidence in the banking system.”
CFPB publishes fall 2021 rulemaking agenda
On December 13, the Office of Information And Regulatory Affairs released the CFPB’s fall 2021 rulemaking agenda. According to a Bureau announcement, the information released represents regulatory matters the Bureau plans to pursue during the period from November 2, 2021 to October 31, 2022. Additionally, the Bureau stated that the latest agenda reflects continued rulemakings intended to further its consumer financial protection mission and help advance the country’s economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Promoting racial and economic equity and supporting underserved and marginalized communities’ access to fair and affordable credit continue to be Bureau priorities.
Key rulemaking initiatives include:
- Small Business Rulemaking. This fall, the Bureau issued its long-awaited proposed rule (NPRM) for Section 1071 regulations, which would require a broad swath of lenders to collect data on loans they make to small businesses, including information about the loans themselves, the characteristics of the borrower, and demographic information regarding the borrower’s principal owners. (Covered by a Buckley Special Alert.) The NPRM comment period goes through January 6, 2022, after which point the Bureau will review comments as it moves to develop a final rule. Find continuing Section 1071 coverage here.
- Consumer Access to Financial Records. The Bureau noted that it is working on rulemaking to implement Section 1033 of Dodd-Frank in order to address the availability of electronic consumer financial account data. The Bureau is currently reviewing comments received in response to an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) issued fall 2020 regarding consumer data access (covered by InfoBytes here). Additionally, the Bureau stated it is monitoring the market to consider potential next steps, “including whether a Small Business Review Panel is required pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility Act.”
- Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the Bureau published an ANPR in March 2019 seeking feedback on the unique features of PACE financing and the general implications of regulating PACE financing under TILA (as required by Section 307 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, which amended TILA to mandate that the Bureau issue certain regulations relating to PACE financing). The Bureau noted that it continues “to engage with stakeholders and collect information for the rulemaking, including by pursuing quantitative data on the effect of PACE on consumers’ financial outcomes.”
- Automated Valuation Models (AVM). Interagency rulemaking is currently being pursued by the Bureau, Federal Reserve Board, OCC, FDIC, NCUA, and FHFA to develop regulations for AVM quality control standards as required by Dodd-Frank amendments to FIRREA. The standards are designed to, among other things, “ensure a high level of confidence in the estimates produced by the valuation models, protect against the manipulation of data, seek to avoid conflicts of interest, require random sample testing and reviews,” and account for any other appropriate factors. An NPRM is anticipated for June 2022.
- Amendments to Regulation Z to Facilitate LIBOR Transition. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the Bureau issued a final rule on December 7 to facilitate the transition from LIBOR for consumer financial products, including “adjustable-rate mortgages, credit cards, student loans, reverse mortgages, [and] home equity lines of credit,” among others. The final rule amended Regulation Z, which implements TILA, to generally address LIBOR’s eventual cessation for most U.S. dollar settings in June 2023, and establish requirements for how creditors must select replacement indices for existing LIBOR-linked consumer loans. The final rule generally takes effect April 1, 2022.
- Reviewing Existing Regulations. The Bureau noted in its announcement that it decided to conduct an assessment of a rule implementing HMDA (most of which took effect January 2018), and referred to a notice and request for comments issued last month (covered by InfoBytes here), which solicited public comments on its plans to assess the effectiveness of the HMDA Rule. Additionally, the Bureau stated that it finished a review of Regulation Z rules implementing the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, and that “[a]fter considering the statutory review factors and public comments,” it “determined that the CARD Act rules should continue without change.”
Notably, there are 14 rulemaking activities that are listed as inactive on the fall 2021 agenda, including rulemakings on overdraft services, consumer reporting, student loan servicing, Regulation E modernization, abusive acts and practices, loan originator compensation, and TILA/RESPA mortgage disclosure integration.
FHFA announces 2022 confirming loan limits
On November 30, FHFA announced that it will raise the maximum conforming loan limits (CLL) for mortgages purchased in 2022 by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from $548,250 to $647,200 (the 2021 CLL limits were covered previously by InfoBytes here). In most high-cost areas, the maximum loan limit for one-unit properties will be $970,800. According to FHFA, due to generally rising home values, “the CLLs will be higher in all but four U.S. counties or county equivalents.” A county-specific list of 2022 conforming loan limits for all counties and county-equivalent areas in the U.S. can be accessed here.
FSOC directs regulators to take measures to mitigate climate-related financial risks
On October 21, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) released a new report in response to President Biden’s May executive order, which directed financial regulators to take steps to mitigate climate-related risk related to the financial system. The Report on Climate-Related Financial Risk (see also FSOC’s fact sheet) identified more than 30 specific recommendations for member agencies, including that members should: (i) expand capacity and efforts “to define, identify, measure, monitor, assess, and report on climate-related financial risks and their effects on financial stability,” including through “investments in staffing, training, expertise, data, analytic and modeling methodologies, and monitoring”; (ii) promptly conduct an internal inventory of currently available data and develop plans for acquiring necessary additional data to fill climate-related data and methodological gaps; (iii) review existing public disclosure requirements and consider updating public reporting requirements in a way that would build on the work of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures; and (iv) continue to assess and mitigate climate-related risks to financial stability, including through scenario analysis, and evaluate whether revised or new regulations or guidance is necessary to clarify expectations for regulated or supervised institutions. The report also called for enhanced coordination across member agencies, and said a Climate-related Financial Risk Committee will be formed to “identify priority areas for assessing and mitigating climate-related risks to the financial system and serve as a coordinating body to share information, facilitate the development of common approaches and standards, and foster communication across FSOC members.” A Climate-related Financial Risk Advisory Committee will also be formed to help gather information and analysis from stakeholders on climate-related financial risks. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that FSOC has a responsibility under the Dodd-Frank Act “to respond to emerging threats to the stability of the United States financial system” and to “ensure the resilience of the financial system to the future impacts of climate change.”
FHFA makes GSE desktop appraisals permanent, expands refinance programs for LMI borrowers
On October 18, FHFA announced two measures to advance housing sustainability and affordability. Speaking before the 2021 Mortgage Bankers Association Annual Convention and Expo, acting Director Sandra Thompson announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs) “will incorporate desktop appraisals into their guides for many new purchase loans starting in early 2022.” Thompson explained that including desktop appraisals in the selling guides will change what was a temporary flexibility into an option that will “mitigate risk for use over the long-term” and will “become an established option for originating [GSE] loans.” According to Thompson, this certainty should allow lenders, borrowers, and appraisers to take advantage of efficiency gains provided through desktop appraisals.
Thompson also announced that the GSEs will expand their refinance programs for low- and moderate-income borrowers that were introduced last year. Several enhancements will be made to the RefiNow and RefiPossible programs to expand eligibility requirements and make the programs easier for lenders to offer. Thompson noted that income threshold for eligible borrowers will be raised from 80 percent of area median income to 100 percent. Additionally, the GSEs are making other modifications to reduce operational frictions for lenders.
8th Circuit lets GSE shareholders seek retrospective relief
On October 6, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit held that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders have standing to seek retrospective, but not prospective, relief related to their claims that they suffered damages as a result of the FHFA’s leadership structure. The shareholders alleged FHFA’s leadership structure and appointments violated the appointments clause, the separation of powers, and the non-delegation doctrine. Among other things, the shareholders claimed that (i) the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (Recovery Act), which created the agency, violated separation of powers principles because it only allowed the president to fire the FHFA director “for cause,” and (ii) FHFA acted outside its statutory authority when it adopted a third amendment to the Senior Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements, which replaced a fixed-rate dividend formula with a variable one requiring the GSEs to pay quarterly dividends equal to their entire net worth minus a specified capital reserve amount to the Treasury Department (known as the “net worth sweep”). The district court dismissed the claims for lack of standing, and in the alternative, rejected them on the merits.
The 8th Circuit began by rejecting the district court’s holding that the shareholders lacked standing. Relying on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Collins v. Yellen (covered by InfoBytes here), the appellate court held that the shareholders’ alleged injury flowed from the adoption of the agreement containing the net worth sweep by FHFA’s acting director, who did not properly hold office. However, the shareholders were limited to seeking retrospective relief, because prospective relief was mooted by the adoption of subsequent amendments to the agreement by validly-appointed directors.
However, the appellate court went on to hold that the shareholders were not entitled to relief based on their argument that the acting director had been in office too long in an “acting” role when he adopted the agreement. Even if the shareholders were correct, the acting director’s decisions were valid under the de facto officer doctrine, which confers validity on the acts of persons operating “under the color of official title even though it is later discovered that the legality of that person’s appointment or election to office is deficient.” Moreover, even if the de facto officer doctrine did not control, “[a]ny defect was resolved when the subsequent FHFA directors—none of whose appointments were challenged—ratified the third amendment.”
The 8th Circuit also rejected the argument that Congress unlawfully delegated authority to FHFA in the Recovery Act, finding that the statute directs FHFA “to act as a ‘conservator,’ with clear and recognizable instructions.”
Finally, the 8th Circuit did agree with the shareholders that FHFA’s leadership structure was unconstitutional because, as the Court held in Collins, it limited the president’s ability to remove the director. But the appellate court rejected the shareholders’ request that it vacate the adoption of the agreement containing the net worth sweep as a result, noting that the acting director was always “removable at will,” and that there was no allegation that subsequent agency directors (who took actions to implement the agreement) were appointed improperly. Still, the appellate court noted that, in Collins, the Court had remanded the case for a determination whether the constitutional violation “caused compensable harm” to the plaintiffs, and it did the same here.
FHFA extends Covid-19 multifamily forbearance
On September 24, FHFA announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs) will continue to offer Covid-19 forbearance to qualified multifamily property owners. The forbearance options for GSE-backed multifamily mortgages were set to expire September 30, but have been extended for the fourth time. Eligible multifamily property owners that enter into new or modified forbearance agreements are required to (i) “[i]nform tenants in writing about tenant protections available during the property owner’s forbearance and repayment periods”; and (ii) “[a]gree not to evict tenants solely for the nonpayment of rent while the property is in forbearance.” Additionally, property owners must also provide a tenant at least 30-days’ notice to vacate, may not charge a tenant late fees or penalties for nonpayment of rent, and must allow a tenant flexibility to repay back rent over time and not in a lump sum.
HUD and FHFA clarify Freddie Mac policies on purchasing group-home mortgages
On September 22, HUD and FHFA announced policy clarifications concerning Freddie Mac’s purchase of mortgages secured by property owned by an individual that is occupied by people with disabilities. According to HUD and FHFA, the assurance that Freddie Mac will purchase mortgages secured by group homes (which are protected under the Fair Housing Act) “should encourage lenders in extending credit for such mortgages, thus providing more community-based living opportunities for persons with disabilities.” These clarifications were included in a Freddie Mac update earlier this month to its seller/servicer guide. The announcement follows a HUD investigation of a mortgage lender who allegedly denied a consumer’s loan for a group home based on the incorrect premise that Freddie Mac would not agree to buy the mortgage. (Covered by InfoBytes here.) After HUD reported the misunderstanding to Freddie Mac and FHFA, Freddie Mac agreed to revise its policies to clarify that it has always been willing to buy mortgages secured by a group home.
FHFA seeks comments on regulatory capital framework
On September 15, FHFA issued a notice requesting public comment on a proposed rule that would amend the regulatory capital framework for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (collectively, “GSEs”). The proposed rule would amend the prescribed leverage buffer amount (PLBA) and the capital treatment of credit risk transfers (CRT) to encourage more distribution of credit risk between the GSEs and private investors. Specifically, FHFA is proposing to: (i) change the fixed PLBA equal to 1.5 percent of a GSE’s adjusted total assets to a dynamic PLBA of 50 percent of the GSE’s stability capital buffer; (ii) “replace the prudential floor of 10 percent on the risk weight assigned to any retained CRT exposure with a prudential floor of 5 percent on the risk weight assigned to any retained CRT exposure”; and (iii) eliminate the requirement that a GSE is required to apply an overall effectiveness adjustment to its retained CRT exposures in line with the framework’s securitization framework. Comments on the proposal must be submitted within 60 days of publication in the Federal Register.
Treasury, FHFA suspend provisions of 2021 PSPAs
On September 14, the U.S. Treasury Department and FHFA announced the suspension of certain requirements that were added on January 14 to the Preferred Stock Purchase Agreements (PSPAs) between Treasury and Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (collectively, “GSEs”). According to the announcement, “FHFA will continue to measure, manage, and monitor the financial and operational risks of the Enterprises to ensure that they operate in a safe and sound manner and consistent with the public interest.” In addition, during the suspension, the FHFA will review the requirements and consider other revisions, and notes that the suspensions “do not affect the [GSEs] ability to build or retain capital.”