Weekly Brief: BoA Sued; SCOTUS Shortlists; Fund Fights Argentina
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
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently issued a press release announcing a 2023 update to its Equity Action Plan. The Equity Action Plan is part of HUD’s efforts to implement President Biden’s...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced the 2024 loan limits for FHA insured forward mortgage loans and FHA insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECMs). The announcements were made...more
On October 30, 2023, President Biden issued a wide-ranging Executive Order designed to protect Americans from potential risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and...more
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) recently announced in Mortgagee Letter 2023.13 that lenders must use the Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF) of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in connection...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 January 25, the Biden administration announced new actions for enhancing tenant protections and furthering fair housing principles, which align with the administration’s Blueprint for a Renters Bill of Rights that was...more
In Mortgagee Letter 2023-01, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) addressed the use of the revised Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac single-family loan documents with FHA Title II forward mortgage loans. As...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
REMOVALS- Can I be removed from my home as a result of a foreclosure proceeding during the COVID-19 emergency? No. On March 19, 2020, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy issued Executive Order 106, which suspended...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
On Thursday, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a policy statement covering its views on fair lending requirements (Fair Lending Policy Statement) under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, the Fair Housing Act,...more
Buchalter’s February 16 COVID Alert reported that the federal government had extended the FHA, VA and USDA timelines for single-family foreclosure and eviction moratoria and forbearance periods to June 30, 2021. On February...more
Following last week’s FHFA announcement extending the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac foreclosure and eviction moratoria and their deadlines for applying for COVID-related forbearance, the White House announced on February 16 that...more
On February 9, the Federal Home Finance Agency announced extensions of time until March 31, 2021 for the Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae COVID-related foreclosure and eviction moratoria, and allowed an additional three months of...more
Since the beginning of the year and the change in Presidential administrations, a number of relief measures granted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been extended. Below are updates regarding relief measures in place...more
REMOVALS- Can I be removed from my home as a result of a foreclosure proceeding during the COVID-19 emergency? No. On March 19, 2020, New Jersey Governor Philip Murphy issued Executive Order 106 , suspending evictions...more
Three federal agencies who make, guarantee, and insure mortgage loans, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Department...more
On May 14, 2020, shortly after the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac COVID-19 payment deferral options were announced, we warned mortgage servicers about the legal risks associated with offering payment deferral programs to...more
A&B Abstract: The Alston & Bird Consumer Finance team recognizes that this is a period of great uncertainty both for the nation and our clients....more
COVID-19 (or Coronavirus) is set to dramatically change the foreclosure and eviction process across the United States for the next 60-90 days and likely beyond....more
On October 3, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee conducted a hearing on possible housing finance reform measures titled “Sustainable Housing Finance: An Update from the Director of the...more
On August 8, 2017, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a national lender agreed to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act. The settlement resolves allegations that the lender originated and...more
By recently releasing yet another revised representation and warranty framework, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac continued their efforts to assuage the concerns of the lending industry that a default by a borrower poses an unfair...more