Weekly Brief: BoA Sued; SCOTUS Shortlists; Fund Fights Argentina
On June 20, FHFA conditionally approved a limited pilot program for Freddie Mac to begin purchasing certain single-family closed-end second mortgages. This decision came after implementing a new approval process for products...more
With Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and others embracing attorney opinion letters (AOLs) as an alternative to title insurance for residential mortgages, Bradley’s Title Insurance Claims & Title Defect Curative Practice Group took a...more
Federal Reserve Board. Extended comment period. On April 24, 2024, FRB and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said they would continue to accept comments on Capital One's proposed acquisition of Discover Financial...more
Stemming from the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) 2019 validation and approval of credit score models final rule, the FHFA announced in October 2022 that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored...more
In what is now the second largest bank failure in United States history, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation closed embattled San Francisco-based First Republic Bank shortly after midnight...more
On April 12, FHFA published a final rule amending its Enterprise Duty to Serve Underserved Markets regulation. The final rule, which was adopted without change from the proposed rule issued last year (covered by InfoBytes...more
On April 5, FHFA announced updates to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (GSEs) equitable housing finance plans for 2023. The updates include adjustments to plans first announced last year, which faced pushback from several...more
On March 29, FHFA announced enhanced payment deferral policies for borrowers facing financial hardships. Under the newly enhanced policies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will allow borrowers to defer up to six months of mortgage...more
December 22, 2022- The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today issued a revised interagency statement to extend the...more
October 17, 2022- U.S. Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control Director Andrea Gacki and HM Treasury Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation Director Giles Thomson published a joint article...more
FDIC Directs Banks to Provide Notice Before Engaging in Crypto-related Activities According to guidance recently issued by the FDIC, banks that it supervises and that intend to engage in, or are already engaged in, activities...more
IN THIS ISSUE - Eleventh Circuit Overturns Dismissal of Cryptocurrency Ponzi Scheme Class Action Suit; Federal Court of Appeals Dismisses Leading Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Shareholder Lawsuits; NY Seeks Blockchain...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
In This Issue. In a move that gives him the opportunity to put his stamp on housing policy and the potential overhaul of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, President Biden replaced the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency...more
CFPB Takes Steps to Avoid a Possible Wave of Home Mortgage Loan Foreclosures - The CFPB has issued guidance to mortgage servicers, including banks that service mortgage loans for third-party noteholders, that the CFPB...more
In This Issue. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Examinations issued a Risk Alert raising concerns about misleading Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosures by investment firms; the...more
In the News. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a long-awaited rule seeking comment on its proposed approach to determine the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) evaluation measure benchmarks, retail...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 the News. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and more than 50 federal and state law enforcement partners, announced Operation Corrupt Collector, a nationwide law...more
In the News. On the heels of a lawsuit challenging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) recently issued Madden fix/valid when made rule, eight state attorneys general filed suit challenging a similar rule...more
In the News. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to create a new category of “seasoned” qualified mortgages; the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Office of...more
In this Issue: Senate Votes to Expand Paycheck Protection Program; FHFA (Finally) Addresses Liquidity Concerns for Mortgage Servicers. Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation providing $484 billion in...more
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has issued an emergency order closing the physical workplaces and facilities of all businesses and organizations that do not provide “COVID-19 Essential Services,” which does not apply to...more
Federal Reserve Revises Framework for Determining Control of a Banking Organization The Federal Reserve has adopted a final rule to simplify and clarify its regulations for determining control of a banking organization for...more
With new guidance and model documents issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage industry is several steps closer to operating without LIBOR. The industry has been grappling with the eventual demise of LIBOR since...more