From time-to-time I have identified a practice as “a violation, but a low-risk violation.” That’s kind of like driving 58 miles per hour in a 55 miles per hour zone. It is “a violation of law, but a low-risk violation.” Recently I was asked if it was OK to take a realtor to lunch to build a better relationship that should lead to more referrals of loan applications. I responded that the practice is… You […]
Category: RESPA
CFPB SERVICING RULE FIASCO
On May 4th the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced plans to assess the effectiveness of the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) mortgage servicing rule. The announcement accurately reports that the CFPB issued the 2013 RESPA Servicing Final Rule in January 2013. That rule was amended a few times before it took effect on January 10, 2014. The Dodd-Frank Act requires the CFPB to conduct assessments of certain rules within five years after they […]
KICKBACK SCHEME – PROSPECT MORTGAGE AND OTHERS
On January 21, 2017 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against Prospect Mortgage, LLC, a major mortgage lender, for paying illegal kickbacks for mortgage business referrals. The CFPB also took action against two real estate brokers and a mortgage servicer that took illegal kickbacks from Prospect. Under the terms of the action, Prospect will pay a $3.5 million civil penalty for its illegal conduct, and the real estate brokers and servicer will pay […]
REVISED SMALL ENTITY COMPLIANCE GUIDE FOR MORTGAGE SERVICING RULES
On November 30, 2016 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published an updated version of the Small Entity Compliance Guide entitled Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (Regulation X) and Truth In Lending Act (Regulation Z) Mortgage Servicing Rules. The Guide is updated to reflect the August 2016 Final Rule that makes significant changes to the servicing rules contained in both regulations. The August 2016 Final Rule changes impact all financial institutions. The impact on small servicers […]
EFFECTIVE DATE FOR FINAL SERVICING RULES ESTABLISHED
On October 19, 2016 the final Servicing Rules published by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on August 6, 2016 were finally published in the Federal Register. The final rule clarifies, revises, or amends provisions regarding force-placed insurance notices, policies and procedures, early intervention, and loss mitigation requirements under Regulation X’s servicing provisions; and prompt crediting and periodic statement requirements under Regulation Z’s servicing provisions. The final rule also addresses proper compliance regarding certain servicing requirements […]