Archive

HOMEOWNERSHIP COUNSELING ORGANIZATIONS LISTS

Section 1024.20(a)(1) of Regulation X requires lenders to provide the loan applicant with a written list of homeownership counseling organizations that provide relevant services in the loan applicant’s location. The rule is effective on January 10, 2014. On November 7, 2013 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a final rule and made available a tool that produces the appropriate list of counselors. A lender may use the CFPB tool or may develop its own […]

AMENDMENTS TO REGULATION X AND Z SERVICING RULES

Recently the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) published an interim final rule that amends existing final servicing rules contained in Regulation X and Z. Comments will be accepted until November 22, 2013. The rule is effective January 10, 2014. The changes to changes routine is wearing thin, but these changes are helpful and do not significantly increase the compliance burden. Among other changes the amendments clarify the specific disclosures that must be provided before counseling […]

MORE FINAL REVISED RULES – REGULATIONS B, X, AND Z

On September 13 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published it latest revisions to final rules that were published last January. The 274-page final rule: Revises error resolution procedures and information requests (§§ 1024.35 and 1024.36), and loss mitigation (§ 1024.41). With respect to loss mitigation, two of the revisions concern the requirement in § 1024.41(b)(2)(i) that a servicer review a borrower’s loss mitigation application within five days and provide a notice to the borrower acknowledging […]

NETTING AN ESCROW BALANCE AGAINST THE PAYOFF AMOUNT

Can a servicer offset the balance in an escrow account against the payoff balance quoted to the borrower? The answer depends on whether the transaction occurs today or after January 10, 2014. Today – If the transaction occurs today, Section 1024.17 (i)(4)(iii) states, “If a borrower pays off a mortgage loan during the escrow account computation year, the servicer shall submit a short year statement to the borrower within 60 days after receiving the pay-off funds. […]

CFPB PROPOSES CHANGES TO REGULATIONS B, X, AND Z

On June 24, 2013 the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau published proposed changes to several final rules originally published in January 2013. The proposal would: Provide procedures for obtaining follow-up information on loss-mitigation applications; Make it easier for servicers to offer short-term forbearance plans; Revise the definitions of “rural” and “underserved” and provide interim rules until the revised definitions are complete; Provide clarification about financing credit insurance; Clarify the definition of “loan originator;” Clarify the definition […]