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On April 26, 2023, the CFPB will hold a field hearing in Brooklyn, New York on “zombie second mortgages.”  At the event, Director Chopra will host a discussion with local community organizations, advocates, leaders, and members of the public about such mortgages and debt collection issues.  The CFPB describes “zombie second mortgages” as “debts that consumers thought were satisfied long ago by loan modifications or bankruptcy proceedings or that were written off by lenders as uncollectable.”… Continue Reading

Last week, the CFPB published a blog post, stating that it “strongly encourages” mortgage servicers to participate in Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) programs.  The Bureau asserts that it “remains focused on preventing avoidable foreclosures to the maximum extent possible and expects mortgage servicers to do the same.”

By way of background, HAF is a federal program that provides money to states, tribes, and territories to assist homeowners with housing costs. … Continue Reading

We look at the practices found to be unlawful by CFPB examiners in these markets, discuss what the findings signal for future scrutiny of these markets by the “new CFPB”, and share practical takeaways for companies operating in these markets.  Issues highlighted in our conversation include the CFPB’s findings regarding “unreliable furnishers,” furnisher handling of “frivolous or irrelevant” disputes, interest accrual on debts in collection, and mortgage servicer consideration of private mortgage insurance termination dates when estimating disbursements in an annual escrow analysis.… Continue Reading

In its February 2021 Bulletin, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) reminds licensed mortgage loan servicers that DFPI examinations will include processes to determine compliance with state and federal laws providing consumer protections with regard to COVID-19-related foreclosures.  The DFPI notes that these laws “include provisions allowing for forbearance of mortgage payments, post-forbearance options forbidding the requirement of lump sum payments, and the extension of the California Homeowner Bill of Rights to tenant occupied principal residences.”  … Continue Reading

On November 13, 2020, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET, we will present a webinar on the CFPB’s final collection rule.  Click here for more information and to register.

The CFPB’s debt collection final rule will significantly impact the operations of mortgage servicers.  Not surprisingly, the CFPB declined to generally exempt mortgage servicers from the definition of a “debt collector” under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”). … Continue Reading

The CFPB has released the Summer 2019 edition of its Supervisory Highlights.  The report discusses the Bureau’s examination findings in the areas of automobile loan originations, credit card account management, debt collection, furnishing, and mortgage originations.

Key findings include the following:

Auto loan originations.  Auto lenders were found to have engaged in an abusive practice by selling GAP insurance to consumers whose low loan-to-value ratios meant they would not benefit from the product. … Continue Reading

Continuing our coverage of the CFPB’s proposed debt collection rules, this blog post will focus on a few provisions that pertain specifically to mortgage servicers.

In part, the proposal continues the CFPB’s efforts to harmonize mortgage servicing regulation (which generally promotes communication with consumers) and debt collection regulation (which generally restricts communication with consumers). … Continue Reading

Mortgage servicing continues to be a CFPB supervisory focus.  In this week’s podcast, we take a close look at the CFPB’s findings involving late fees, PMI cancellation requests, handling of loss mitigation applications, and notices to successors of deceased reverse mortgage borrowers regarding  foreclosure avoidance, share observations on what the findings indicate about the CPPB’s approach to these issues, and discuss the findings’ compliance implications.… Continue Reading

According to a Financial Times report, Ginnie Mae is considering proposals that would create federal safety and soundness standards for non-bank mortgage lenders that are similar to those that apply to banks.  More specifically, the report cites comments made by Maren Kasper, Ginnie Mae’s acting president, that the proposals would provide for stress testing to assess a lender’s liquidity and include a requirement that lenders have a “living will” that describes how the lender would wind down its operations in the event of financial distress or the lender’s failure.… Continue Reading