On June 22 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued two separate proposals to revise the Ability to Repay/Qualified Mortgages rules contained in Section.1026.43 of Regulation Z
- The first proposal is 233 pages in length.
- For General QM loans, the ratio of the consumer’s total monthly debt to total monthly income (DTI ratio) must not exceed 43 percent. The CFPB proposes certain amendments to the General QM loan definition in Regulation Z. Among other things, the Bureau proposes to remove the General QM loan definition’s 43 percent DTI limit and replace it with a price-based threshold.
- Another category of QM loans is loans that are eligible for purchase or guarantee by either the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (government-sponsored enterprises, or GSEs), while operating under the conservatorship or receivership of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). The GSEs are currently under Federal conservatorship. The Bureau established this category of QMs (Temporary GSE QM loans) as a temporary measure that is set to expire no later than January 10, 2021 or when the GSEs exit conservatorship.
- This proposal has a 60-day comment period.
- In the second proposal (61 pages), the CFPB proposes to extend the Temporary GSE QM loan definition to expire upon the effective date of final amendments to the General QM loan definition in Regulation Z (or when the GSEs cease to operate under the conservatorship of the FHFA, if that happens earlier). This proposal has a 30 day comment period.