Archive

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 […]

PHASE II OF THE HMDA REVISIONS

Implementing revised HMDA rules is a monumental task by any measure. The first phase is to determine scope and coverage, collect the data, and submit it to the CFPB. The second phase involves analyzing the data and determining the story told by that data. The scope of institutions covered by the revised rules has changed. The types of loans that are HMDA-reportable under the revised rules has changed. The list of information that must be […]

IMPACT OF THE ELECTION

Following this week’s election we all need to evaluate the impact on our lives, families, and our businesses. Change is definitely coming, but will not happen overnight. If you have a positive view of the future I hope your vision comes true. If you are fearful of the future I hope your fears are unfounded. We need to closely watch the actions of Congress and the White House over the next few years to judge […]

CFPB STANDS IN WAY OF SOLUTION TO HMDA REPORTING PROBLEM

Collection of 2017 HMDA data begins in less than two months. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced last summer in its 2017 Filing Instructions Guide (FIG) that beginning with the HMDA data collected in 2017, filers will submit their HMDA data to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) using a web interface referred to as the HMDA Platform. The HMDA Platform has not been released. That puts the industry in the awkward position of collecting 2017 […]