On July 1, the CFPB and FHFA released updated loan-level data from 2013-2021 through the National Survey of Mortgage Originations (NSMO). The NSMO, established in 2014, gathers quarterly data from borrowers who recently...more
Recently, the FHFA announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will update their Flex Modification policies to help struggling borrowers reduce their mortgage payments. Flex Modification would be for eligible borrowers...more
On May 1, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced new policies that will allow borrowers to challenge property appraisals they believe to be inaccurate or biased....more
On April 22, the FHFA sent to the Federal Register a notice of a proposed new product from Freddie Mac to begin purchasing certain single-family closed-end second mortgages. According to the proposal, Freddie Mac would...more
On March 15, FHFA delayed the implementation of a new debt-to-income ratio-based fee to August 1, in order to ensure lenders have sufficient time to prepare. In January, FHFA made several changes relating to upfront fees for...more
The CFPB and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) recently published for public use updated loan level data from the National Survey of Mortgage Originations (NSMO). The data also provide updated mortgage performance and...more
In This Issue. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will no longer charge lenders the Adverse Market Refinance Fee; the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is seeking...more
On April 21, 2021, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend certain loan origination flexibilities, including alternative appraisals on purchase and rate-term refinance...more
In the News. Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) published its proxy voting guidelines updates for 2021, which include new and updated voting recommendations on federal forum and exclusive forum provisions in companies’...more
In This Issue. The Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) issued a Risk Alert about the scope and content of examinations OCIE plans to conduct of various...more
(New information added on April 17, 2020) - As the coronavirus crisis unfolds, federal and state financial services regulatory agencies have taken multiple actions impacting banks, non-bank financial service providers, and...more
The shuttered storefronts and grounded airplanes that by now have become an all too familiar image of the COVID-19 pandemic are quickly creating a ripple effect through the U.S. economy. As unemployment rises and Americans...more
On April 14, 2016, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) announced the launch of a principal reduction program for first-lien mortgages that are owned or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. According to the...more
On August 27, 2015, the CFPB issued two Technical Reports: one on the National Mortgage Database (NMDB), and the other on the National Survey of Mortgage Borrowers (NSMB). The NMDB project is a joint undertaking by the FHFA...more
Federal regulators have issued their long-awaited revised qualified residential mortgage (QRM) proposal. The proposal, which implements Section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Act, was issued jointly by the FDIC, Fed, OCC, SEC and,...more