An Inside Look as a Juror - FCRA Focus Podcast
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
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
Recently, the FHFA issued a request for input (RFI) on a single-family pricing framework for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs), including feedback on policy priorities and goals that FHFA should pursue in its oversight of the...more
On May 10, FHFA announced it is rescinding a debt-to-income-based loan-level pricing adjustment announced in January. As previously covered by InfoBytes, FHFA made several changes relating to upfront fees for certain...more
On April 14, 2023, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) issued a Notice of Regulatory Review (Review Notice) as part of its Regulatory Review Plan (Review Plan) and is requesting comment on how FHFA rules and regulations...more
On December 21, FHFA issued guidance to Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBanks), and the Office of Finance on its model risk management framework. ...more
A&B Abstract: On August 10, 2022, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the “GSEs”) will require mortgage servicers to obtain and maintain fair lending data on their loans,...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
As previously reported, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will require servicers to suspend foreclosure activities for up to 60 days if the servicer has been notified that a borrower...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
As homeowners file insurance claims for property damage following Hurricane Ida and with Hurricane Larry threatening the northeast coast, mortgage servicers are facing an influx of insurance proceeds or loss draft funds. To...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
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
March 13, 2021, marked the one-year anniversary of President Trump's declaring COVID-19 a national emergency. Through the CARES Act, agency action and guidance, and various state laws and executive orders, governments across...more
In mid May 2020, we highlighted that the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (GSEs) COVID-19 payment deferral programs put mortgage servicers at risk of violating some of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) Mortgage...more
This past June, in Barnes v. U.S. National Bank, No. 2180699, the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals held that a mortgagee’s notice of acceleration failed to strictly comply with the notice provisions contained in Paragraph 22...more
As previously reported, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac recently announced that there are no plans to extend the eligibility for purchase of loans in a COVID-19 forbearance for loans with note dates after August 31, 2020....more
As previously reported, subject to conditions, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will purchase loans in a COVID-19 forbearance if the eligible loans have note dates through August 31, 2020. One of the conditions is an additional...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
The Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a joint statement concerning mortgage loan forbearances under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic...more
On June 10, 2020 Fannie Mae in Lender Letter 2020-09 and Freddie Mac in Bulletin 2020-21 announced the servicer incentive for their previously announced COVID-19 payment deferral, and temporary updates to other servicer...more
Many of you have read about the power of the president to invoke the Defense Production Act to acquire products or direct the activities of suppliers based on a finding that it is necessary for the federal government to...more
On Wednesday, May 13, 2020, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac unveiled new retention workout options that were jointly developed and “specifically designed to help borrowers impacted by a hardship related to COVID-19 return their...more
Federal and state regulators and Congress continue to release new guidance and requirements to assist mortgage borrowers facing economic hardships resulting from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. ...more