Williams Mullen's Comeback Plan: Part IV - How Banks Think About Loan Defaults: Lessons for Borrowers in Troubled Times
A strange confluence of geopolitical events, labor unrest, softening consumer demand, and supply-chain logistical issues could leave lumps of coal in the stockings of lenders this holiday season. The story begins in the Red...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on July 10, 2024, announced a proposed rule that would require servicers to more intently assist borrowers throughout a "loss mitigation review cycle" before being permitted to...more
On February 9, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) issued a circular to consolidate updates related to VA’s disaster modification and loan deferment options. Effective February 9, the circular reiterates the options for...more
Nearly four years after the depths of the COVID-19 pandemic, issues concerning the legal consequences of executive and legislative orders shutting down business operations are still working their way through appellate courts...more
Among the problems resulting from COVID-19, is the pandemic’s effect on business. Numerous businesses were forced to close due to lock downs and supply chain issues. The economic slowdowns and business closures caused by...more
As a collection and banking attorney, I am often asked whether (or when) I think collections will restart now that we are somewhat “beyond” COVID-19, although not fully. In my own practice I have seen an increase in demand...more
On October 16, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced it will revise how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSE) single-family mortgages are treated for borrowers who have entered Covid-19 forbearance under the GSEs’...more
On April 7, HUD issued Mortgagee Letter 2023-08, which extends through May 31 the final date for borrowers to request Covid-19 forbearance and home equity conversion mortgage (HECM) extensions. The extension is intended to...more
Three years after it began, the presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency is officially over. On April 10, 2023, President Biden signed H. J. Res. 7, officially ending the COVID-19 national emergency a month earlier...more
In a win for Ballard Spahr client Specialized Loan Servicing LLC (SLS), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit recently held that SLS, a mortgage servicer, properly reported a Covid-19 forbearance plan under the...more
On Thursday, September 22, 2022, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a new request for information (RFI) regarding mortgage servicing, potentially opening the door for much-needed regulatory reforms. The...more
In September 2020, only months into what we now know was to become a two-year Global Pandemic, we looked at what Covid-19 might mean for businesses and their creditors. At that time we had seen some high profile casualties –...more
Banking Law Rooted in Civil Rights Era Gets a 21st Century Update "The Community Reinvestment Act basically mandates that if you open a bank in a low-income neighborhood, you can’t just take that neighborhood’s deposits and...more
On May 16, the CFPB released a report examining metrics on mortgage servicers’ responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the report, homeowners are still facing significant risks and challenges in working with...more
In December 2021, a federal judge granted a motion for summary judgment in Mitchell v. Specialized Loan Servicing LLC, holding that defendant Specialized Loan Servicing LLC (Specialized Loan) properly reported plaintiff Eric...more
On March 13, 2020, President Donald Trump declared a national emergency in response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Shortly thereafter, to assist consumers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress passed the...more
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a focal point for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) – especially with regard to mortgage servicers and loss mitigation programs. In its Fall Supervisory Highlights, the CFPB noted...more
In a December 13, 2021 letter to servicers, New York Attorney General Letitia James reminded servicers of their continuing obligations to assist New Yorkers amidst the pandemic and warned of enforcement actions against...more
Federal Banking Agencies Publish Policy Road Map for Crypto-Asset Activities - The federal banking agencies have issued a joint statement summarizing their interagency “policy sprints” focused on crypto-asset activities...more
On October 4, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced on its website that the deadline to request initial forbearance for a COVID-19 hardship for loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration (HUD/FHA),...more
Millions of homeowners have signed up for a forbearance under the CARES Act, which gives homeowners with a federally-backed mortgage loan the right to obtain a temporary reduction or suspension of mortgage payments by way of...more
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB”) announced post-COVID-19 mortgage servicing rules that went into effect August 31, 2021 (“Rules”). The Rules are designed to protect borrowers from “avoidable foreclosures” and...more
On July 23, 2021, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) released Circular 26-21-13, which announced a new temporary modification called the COVID-19 Refund Modification. The COVID-19 Refund Modification and the COVID-19...more
At the close of this month, certain moratoria on foreclosures and evictions are set to lift. While prior deadlines have been extended, it remains to be seen whether another continuance will be granted amidst an increase in...more
In This Issue. The House of Representatives voted to pass a Congressional Review Act resolution repealing the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) “true lender” rule; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau...more