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The CFPB recently issued revised versions of the small entity compliance guides for the Loan Originator Rule and the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act (HOEPA) Rule.

While some of the most well-known provisions of the Loan Originator Rule are the provisions addressing loan originator compensation, the rule also defines the concept of a loan originator and addresses qualification and other requirements related to loan originators. Among various changes, the guide for the Loan Originator Rule is revised to reflect (1) the broadening of an exemption from the concept of a loan originator with regard to retailers of manufactured and modular homes and their employees made by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (Act), which was adopted earlier this year (2) the process for contacting the CFPB with informal inquiries about the rule, and (3) that the TILA/RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) rule is now in effect (the prior version of the guide was issued in March 2015 and the TRID rule became effective in October 2015).

Among various changes, the guide for the HOEPA Rule is revised to reflect (1) the broadening of the exemption from the concept of a loan originator made by the Act (which is noted above), as this can affect the requirement to include loan originator compensation in points and fees for purposes of the points and fees threshold under the HOEPA rule, and (2) the process for contacting the CFPB with informal inquiries about the rule.

Note that for purposes of the points and fees cap to determine qualified mortgage loan status under the ability to repay rule, the definition of “points and fees” set forth in the HOEPA rule is used. As a result, corresponding changes likely will be made to the provisions of the small entity compliance guide for the ability to repay rule to reflect that the Act’s broadening of the exemption from the concept of a loan originator with regard to retailers of manufactured and modular homes and their employees may affect the calculation of points and fees for qualified mortgage purposes. The current version of such guide was issued in March 2016, and the version of the guide on the CFPB’s website includes a notice that the guide has not been updated to reflect the Act.

The CFPB has issued its Spring 2018 Semi-Annual Report to Congress covering the period October 1, 2017 through March 31, 2018.

At 41 pages, the new report is even shorter than the Bureau’s last semi-annual report (which was 55 pages) and continues what appears to be a goal under Acting Director Mulvaney’s leadership of issuing semi-annual reports that are substantially shorter than those issued under the leadership of former Director Cordray.  Like the prior semi-annual report under Mr. Mulvaney’s leadership, and also in contrast to the reports issued under former Director Cordray’s leadership, the new report does not contain any aggregate numbers for how much consumers obtained in consumer relief and how much was assessed in civil money penalties in supervisory and enforcement actions during the period covered by the report.

Pursuant to Section 1017(a)(1) of the Dodd-Frank Act, subject to the Act’s funding cap, the Fed is required to transfer to the CFPB on a quarterly basis “the amount determined by the [CFPB] Director to be reasonably necessary to carry out the authorities of the Bureau under Federal consumer financial law, taking into account such other sums made available to the Bureau from the preceding year (or quarter of such year.)”  The new report references the January 2018 letter sent by Mr. Mulvaney to former Fed Chair Yellen requesting no funds for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2018.

Mr. Mulvaney has, however, sent letters to Fed Chair Powell requesting funds transfers for the third and fourth quarters of FY 2018 and for the first quarter of FY 2019.  The amounts requested are, respectively, $98.5 million, $65.7 million, and $172.9 million.  (In contrast, former Director Cordray’s final transfer request, which was for the first quarter of FY 2018, sought a transfer of $217.1 million.)  Two of Mr. Mulvaney’s letters included the following statement:

By design, this funding mechanism [created by Section 1017(a)(1)] denies the American people their rightful control over how the Bureau spends their money, which undermines the Bureau’s legitimacy.  The Bureau should be funded through Congressional appropriations.  However, I am bound to execute the law as written. 

The new report indicates that the Bureau had 1,671 employees as of March 31, 2018, representing a slight increase in the number of employees (1,627) as of March 31, 2017.  The new report does not discuss any ongoing or past developments of significance beyond those we have covered in previous blog posts.

 

 

 

 

 

A number of housing and financial industry trade groups, including the Mortgage Bankers Association and Real Estate Services Providers Council, Inc. (RESPRO®), recently sent a letter to Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) supporting the confirmation of Kathleen Kraninger as CFPB Director.

The trade groups state that Ms. Kraninger “has the ability to lead and manage a large government agency, like the Bureau, which is tasked to ensure consumers’ financial interests are protected,” and “also fulfill the equally important role of ensuring businesses have the necessary compliance support to further those interests.”

Addressing concerns regarding the CFPB, the trade groups state “Our members believe the Bureau must improve its examination, enforcement, rulemaking and guidance processes to assist with regulatory compliance and bring certainty in the marketplace. As evidenced during the Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing, Ms. Kraninger’s testimony conveyed a commitment to such actions along with a thoughtful review of the law for corresponding administrative actions.”

As we reported previously, the Senate Banking Committee voted to approve Ms. Kraninger’s nomination as CFPB Director, but the full Senate has not acted on the nomination. If the Senate does not act on Ms. Kraninger’s nomination during the lame-duck session, the nomination will be returned to President Trump. Once the new Congress convenes next year, the President could re-nominate Ms. Kraninger or nominate another individual for CFPB Director. As we reported previously, under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act Mick Mulvaney can continue to serve as Acting CFPB Director for a 210-day period if Ms. Kraninger’s nomination is returned or rejected, and once another nomination is made he could serve as Acting Director during the Senate’s consideration of the second nomination.

The CFPB and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) have released the first public use file containing data from the National Survey of Mortgage Originations. The NSMO is a component of the National Mortgage Database (NMDB®) program, which we reported on previously.

Since 2014, the CFPB and FHFA have sent approximately 6,000 surveys each quarter to consumers who recently obtained mortgage loans to obtain feedback on their experiences during the origination process, their perception of the mortgage market and their future expectations. The recently issued public use file reflects data from the first 15 quarterly waves of surveys, and covers nearly 25,000 loans originated from 2013 to 2016.

Letters are sent to consumers randomly selected for the survey in both English and Spanish, and consumers who elect to complete a survey may do so in English or Spanish. The current version of the survey contains 94 questions. Topics addressed by the questions include the shopping process, factors regarding the consumer’s selection of the mortgage lender and mortgage loan, the application process, satisfaction with the lender and origination process, whether the consumer experienced certain issues at the loan closing (such as whether the loan documents were not ready or whether the consumer felt rushed or was not given time to read documents), information regarding the consumer (including demographic and income data), whether the consumer expects changes in household income or expenses, whether the consumer expects any changes in employment status, and transaction details (such as purpose for the loan, down payment amount, sources of funds for down payment, factors influencing decision to refinance, interest rate and whether rate is fixed or adjustable, parties who contributed to the payment of closing costs, the type of property and other property details).

FHFA Deputy Director Sandra Thompson stated that “The goal of the survey is to obtain information to help improve lending practices and the mortgage process for future borrowers.” CFPB Acting Director Mick Mulvaney stated that “These data will allow greater transparency, accountability, and effectiveness around borrowers’ mortgage experiences.” The surveys are intended to address the FHFA obligation under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act to conduct monthly mortgage surveys of all residential mortgages, and the CFPB obligation under Dodd-Frank to monitor the primary mortgage market, including through the use of survey data.

The CFPB recently issued a revised version of the Home Mortgage Disclosure (Regulation C) Small Entity Compliance Guide to reflect a partial exemption to Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) requirements made by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act and a related interpretive procedural rule issued by the CFPB. Pursuant to the partial exemption, depository institutions and credit unions are exempted from the new HMDA reporting categories added by Dodd-Frank and the HMDA rule adopted by the CFPB with regard to (1) closed-end loans, if the institution or credit union originated fewer than 500 such loans in each of the preceding two calendar years, and (2) home equity lines of credit (HELOCs), if the institution or credit union originated fewer than 500 HELOCs in each of the preceding two calendar years.

There also are revisions that are not related to the partial exemption. Section 4.1.2 is revised to clarify loans that are not counted when determining if an institution’s lending volume triggers HMDA reporting. The table in Section 5.8 of the Guide regarding the loan amount reported is revised for (1) counteroffer situations when the applicant did not accept or failed to respond to the counteroffer and (2) situations in which an application is denied, closed for incompleteness or withdrawn.

The CFPB has issued a “Complaint snapshot: 50 state report” that provides overall complaint data on a state-by-state basis.  The report includes the District of Columbia.  Last October, the CFPB issued a 50-state snapshot that was limited to student debt.

In its blog post about the report, the Bureau highlights that since January 2015:

  • The Bureau has received more complaints from consumers in California than any other state, with Florida, Texas, New York, and Georgia taking the next four spots.
  • Florida consumers complained to the Bureau most often about credit or consumer reporting, while the most common complaint received from consumers in Texas was about debt collection.
  • Wyoming consumers submitted the fewest complaints of any state.

The report begins with national complaint data which shows that between January 2017 and June 2018, the Bureau received 494,540 complaints, and that 98% of company responses during that period were timely.  The top five products by volume since 2015 were, in descending order, debt collection, credit or consumer reporting, mortgage, credit card, and checking or savings.

In addition to the top five products by volume since 2015, the report indicates on a national basis and for each state and the District of Columbia, the report indicates:

  • Top issue reported by consumers for each of the top five products by volume since 2015
  • Average complaints per month between January 2017 and June 2018
  • Change in average monthly complaints comparing 2018 to 2017
  • Change in complaint volume comparing the first and second quarters of 2018
  • Timely company responses between January 2017 and June 2018
  • Complaints per 100,000 in population between January 2017 and June 2018
  • 2017 vs. 2016 comparison of the top five products by volume
  • Top five products by quarterly percentage change, comparing 2017 fourth quarter complaints with 2018 first quarter and second quarter complaints

Addressing the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) 2018 Annual Convention in Washington, DC on October 15, 2018, BCFP Acting Director Mick Mulvaney advised that regulation by enforcement is dead, and that he does not care much for regulation by guidance either. He noted to the members that they have a right to know what the law is.

Acting Director Mulvaney advised that if a party is doing something that is against the law, the BCFP will take action against them. However, he advised the difference between the BCFP now from its approach under the prior Director is that if someone is doing something that complies with the law and the BCFP doesn’t like it, the BCFP will not take action.

With regard to UDAAP, Acting Director Mulvaney stated that he believes the concepts of “unfair” and “deceptive” are well established in the law, but that is not so with regard to the concept of “abusive”. He noted he asked his staff to provide examples of what is abusive that is not also either unfair or deceptive. And he signaled that the BCFP will look to engage in rulemaking on abusive.

As we have reported the MBA and other trade groups recently sent a letter to the BCFB seeking reforms in connection with the BCFP’s loan originator compensation rule. When asked by MBA President and CEO Robert Broeksmit about the letter, Acting Director Mulvaney advised that he knew the letter was received and that it is being reviewed by staff, but that he had not actually seen the letter. Mr. Broeksmit then handed Mr. Mulvaney a copy of the letter, drawing laughs from the audience.

With regard to payday lending, Acting Director Mulvaney advised that it can be really dangerous for people given the high interest rates, but that people want it so it exists. He noted he has told payday lenders they exist because bank regulators forced banks out of the business. But he stated that the OCC has signaled it will allow banks back in, and that the way to fix payday lending is through competition.

 

On September 21, 2018, the CFPB announced that it will be relocating its southeast regional office from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia in late 2019.  In addition to the CFPB’s headquarters, the Bureau currently leases office space in downtown Washington, D.C. that will be surrendered after the southeast regional team is moved to Atlanta.  The plan for a southeast regional office has been in the works since 2016.  Per the CFPB’s February 2016 Strategic Plan, Budget, and Performance Plan and Report, the CFPB planned to coordinate with the General Services Administration “regarding its space needs for personnel at the headquarters location and in the Southeast region.”  The city selection process “took into account factors including the average rental cost in the region, proximity to institutions examined by the Bureau, and ease of travel for examiners.”  The CFPB stated that Atlanta was selected as “the city that best enables the Bureau to fulfill its statutory mission and enhance its collaboration with its regulatory partners, while being as efficient as possible.”  The new office will be housed in a building owned by the General Services Administration.  In addition to reducing costs, the move will align the CFPB with other regulatory agencies with offices in Atlanta such as the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.  The CFPB also has regional offices in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.

On this week’s podcast, Ballard Spahr attorneys Bo Ranney, Chris Willis, and Reid Herlihy discuss the significant takeaways from the CFPB’s new report—the first edition of Supervisory Highlights issued under Acting Director Mick Mulvaney. Mr. Ranney, former Examiner-in-Charge at the CFPB, and Mr. Willis, who chairs Ballard Spahr’s Consumer Financial Services Litigation Group, discuss the CFPB’s findings regarding debt collection, payday loans, automobile servicing, and small business lending. They also identify potential areas where the CFPB might focus in future examinations and offer recommendations for addressing the operational concerns raised by the report. Mr. Herlihy, a partner in Ballard Spahr’s Mortgage Banking Group, discusses the high-priority, mortgage-related topics identified in the Bureau’s report, lessons the mortgage industry can learn from the Bureau’s findings, and how the CFPB’s approach in this new report differs from its approach under prior leadership.

To listen and subscribe to the podcast, click here.