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New York DFS Superintendent Promises Scrutiny Of Nonbank Servicer Affiliates, Previews Originator Licensing Changes
On May 20, New York DFS Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky spoke during the Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Secondary Market Conference and extended his recent focus on nonbank mortgage servicers. As detailed in excerpts from the remarks he delivered, Mr. Lawsky specifically addressed concerns about ancillary services offered by nonbank mortgage servicer affiliates—e.g. vacant property inspections, short sales marketed through online auctions, foreclosure sales, and debt collection. He asserted that such arrangements put borrowers and investors at risk of becoming “fee factories” and promised to expand DFS’s investigation of ancillary services. Though not reflected in the excerpts released by the DFS, Mr. Lawsky also previewed changes intended to streamline the DFS’s application process for mortgage originator licenses and branch locations in an effort to reduce burden on licensees and improve processing times.
CFPB Opens Board And Council Meetings To Public
On May 20, the CFPB announced that it will allow the public to attend and participate in meetings of its Consumer Advisory Board (CAB), as well as its Academic Research, Community Bank, and Credit Union Advisory Councils. The public’s first opportunity to attend such an event will be on June 18, 2014, when the CAB meets in Reno, Nevada to discuss trends and themes in the mortgage market and consumer home-buying resources. The CFPB also provided a schedule of future Board and council meetings.
House Financial Services Committee Approves Several Mortgage Bills
On May 22, the House Financial Services Committee resumed activity on a series of bills—several of which are mortgage-related—that it considered earlier this month but for which it had postponed recorded votes. The committee approved all bills previously considered, including (i) H.R. 1779, which would amend TILA’s definition of a “mortgage originator” to exclude manufactured housing retailers unless they received compensation from a lender, mortgage broker, or loan originator, and definition of a “high cost mortgage” for loans under $75,000 to include a higher HOEPA APR trigger and a minimum HOEPA points and fees trigger of the greater of 5% of the transaction amount or $3,000; (ii) H.R. 2673, which would provide that loans retained on an institution’s balance sheet automatically qualify for qualified mortgage treatment under the Ability-to-Repay rule; and (iii) H.R. 4521, which would exempt from mandatory escrow requirements loans secured by a first lien on a consumer’s principal dwelling that are held in portfolio by creditors with assets of $10 billion or less, and would instruct the CFPB to provide regulatory relief for mortgage servicers that annually service 20,000 or fewer mortgage loans.
House Financial Services Chairman Questions Regulators' Use Of Reputation Risk
On May 22, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) sent letters to the Federal Reserve Board, the OCC, the FDIC, and the NCUA asking the regulators to explain their use of “reputational risk,” and citing Operation Choke Point as an example of the potential for “reputation risk” to become “a pretext for the advancement of political objectives, which can potentially subvert both safety and soundness and the rule of law.” Congressman Hensarling asked each regulator to explain (i) whether it consider reputation risk in its supervision of depositories, and, if so, to explain the legal basis for such consideration and why it is appropriate; (ii) what data are used to analyze reputational risk and why such data are not already accounted for under CAMELS; and (iii) whether a poor reputation risk rating could be sufficient to warrant recommending a change in a depository’s business practices notwithstanding strong ratings under CAMELS.
Fannie Mae Announces Servicemember Policy Changes, Other Servicing Policy Updates
On May 21, Fannie Mae issued Servicing Guide Announcement SVC-2014-08, which announced that the extended stay of foreclosure and other legal proceedings that is set to expire at the end of this year will continue indefinitely for eligible servicemembers, and that servicers can no longer obtain written servicemember consent or petition the court to continue or commence foreclosure proceedings. Fannie Mae also announced that, effective September 1, 2014, for loans originally purchased at a premium or discounted price that experienced negative amortization, Fannie Mae will limit both the purchase discount and the purchase premium to the amount of the original purchase discount or premium, and the price used to calculate the repurchase amount will be expressed as a percentage of par. Finally, Fannie Mae also (i) announced updated documents used to evaluate and apply for a full or partial release of a property securing a loan; and (ii) clarified that servicers must oversee all outsourcing and third-party vendors, and that both servicers and vendors must implement and maintain business continuity plans.
CSBS Hosts Emerging Payments Hearing
On May 16, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors Emerging Payments Task Force held a public hearing to examine the changing payments landscape and opportunities and risks presented by current and emerging technologies. The Legacy Payment Systems panel focused on continued efforts to improve efficiency and speed while simultaneously “preserving consumer confidence and system stability.” The Retail Payments Innovations panelists described innovative electronic and mobile payment systems and suggested that further innovation would be best supported by existing regulatory framework, which offers sufficient consumer protections. Finally, the Virtual Currencies panel urged state and federal regulators to “provide clear and consistent regulatory expectations and guidance without restricting innovation.” The event was the most recent of a number held by federal and state policymakers to address the proliferation of emerging financial technologies used to move money and transfer funds, which range from enhancements of traditional ACH or credit and debit methods of payment to virtual currencies that disrupt the traditional model. The CSBS is expected to use public hearings like this one to develop a proposed regulatory framework for state agencies.
Swiss Bank Pleads Guilty In Alleged Tax Evasion Conspiracy
On May 19, the DOJ announced that a Swiss bank pleaded guilty and entered into agreements with federal and state regulators to resolve a multi-year investigation into the bank’s alleged conspiracy to assist U.S. taxpayers in filing false income tax returns and other documents with the IRS by helping those individuals conceal undeclared foreign bank accounts. Under the plea agreement, the bank agreed to (i) disclose its cross-border activities; (ii) cooperate in treaty requests for account information; (iii) provide detailed information as to other banks that transferred funds into secret accounts or that accepted funds when secret accounts were closed; (iv) close accounts of account holders who fail to come into compliance with U.S. reporting obligations; and (v) enhance compliance, recordkeeping, and reporting programs. The plea agreement also reflects a prior related settlement with the SEC in which the bank paid $196 million in disgorgement, interest, and penalties. Under the current agreements, the bank will pay $2.6 billion in fines and penalties, including $1.8 billion to the DOJ, $100 million to the Federal Reserve Board, and $715 million to the New York DFS. Federal authorities did not individually charge any officers, directors, or senior managers, and the agreements do not require the bank to dismiss any officers or employees, but eight bank executives have been indicted since 2011 and two of those individuals pleaded guilty. Further, federal and state regulators did not directly restrict the bank’s ability to operate in the U.S.—the New York Federal Reserve Bank allowed the bank to remain a primary dealer and the New York DFS did not revoke the bank’s state banking license.
Fannie Mae Updates Delinquency Management, Default Prevention Policies
On May 16, Fannie Mae announced through Servicing Guide Announcement SVC-2014-07, that for a borrower who submits a complete Borrower Response Package (BRP) or incomplete documentation 37 days or less prior to a foreclosure sale, the servicer (i) must explain its plans for evaluating the borrower for a workout option and suspending the foreclosure sale in the BRP acknowledgement notice, if applicable; and (ii) is encouraged to work with borrowers who submit incomplete documentation to obtain a complete BRP but is not required to send an Incomplete Information Notice. Fannie Mae is eliminating all Servicing Guide requirements related to a substantially complete BRP, and thus servicers need no longer postpone foreclosure due to the receipt of a substantially complete BRP. But when a borrower has been offered a workout based on a complete BRP, the servicer must not refer the loan to foreclosure or proceed with the motion for judgment or order of sale until the borrower’s time period for submitting the initial payment to accept the offer has expired without payment. The announcement also states that, where additional amounts have accrued and/or the due dates of the initial workout offer have changed because the borrower was awaiting the outcome of the appeal decision, the servicer must adjust the payment amount of the initial offer, use the same adjustment approach on all Fannie Mae loans, and reissue the initial offer to reflect adjusted dates or amounts. Finally, servicers are no longer required to refer a mortgage loan secured by a principal residence to foreclosure within 5 business days after the 121st day of delinquency.
Senate Banking Committee Leaders Seek Regulators' Views On Virtual Currencies
On May 19, the Senate Banking Committee’s chairman and ranking member, Senators Tim Johnson (D-SD) and Mike Crapo (R-ID), sent a letter to the leaders of the Treasury Department, the SEC, the CFTC, the OCC, the FDIC, and the Federal Reserve Board regarding recent developments in the use of virtual currencies and their interaction with the global payment system. The Senators ask the regulators a series of questions related to the role of virtual currencies in the U.S. banking system, payment system, and trading markets, and the current role of federal regulators in developing local, national, and international enforcement policies related to virtual currencies. The Senators also seek the agencies’ expectations on virtual currency firms’ BSA compliance, and ask whether an enhanced regulatory framework for virtual currencies is needed.
CA AG Publishes Guide On Online Privacy Policies
On May 21, California AG Kamala D. Harris issued a guide providing recommendations to businesses affected by the 2013 amendments to the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA). Those amendments require website operators to disclose how they respond to “do not track” signals or other mechanisms that provide consumers a choice regarding the collection of personally identifiable information (PII) over time and across different sites or online services. In developing an online privacy policy, the guide advises companies to use plain language, in an easily readable format, and to clearly and conspicuously identify and explain its online tracking and PII collection and sharing practices. Additionally, the guide recommends that policies provide (i) the choices a consumer has regarding the collection, use, and sharing of PII; (ii) a link to any privacy policy maintained by third parties receiving PII; and (iii) contact information for questions or concerns.