CFPB Issues Final Rules Clarifying Role of Supervisory Guidance, Escrow Accounts

In final actions of the Trump Administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau yesterday issued two final rules. The first confirms the Bureau’s use of supervisory guidance for its supervised institutions; the second exempts certain financial institutions from establishing escrow accounts for higher-priced mortgage loans.

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“The term ‘lawful residency’ pre-dates DACA and thus did not anticipate a situation in which a borrower might not have entered the country legally, but nevertheless be considered lawfully present. To avoid confusion and provide needed clarity to HUD’s lending partners, FHA is waiving the above referenced FHA Handbook subsection in its entirety. In a subsequent update to the FHA Handbook the language will be removed.”
–From a HUD announcement clarifying FHA loan eligibility for DACA participants.

MBA Letter Offers Support for Yellen Treasury Nomination

Janet Yellen, President-Elect Joseph Biden Jr.’s nominee for Treasury Secretary, appears this morning for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Finance Committee. Ahead of the hearing, the Mortgage Bankers Association sent a letter in support of her nomination.

Biden Nominates Rohit Chopra to Lead CFPB

President-Elect Joe Biden on Monday nominated Rohit Chopra, who worked closely with Elizabeth Warren in creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in the wake of the Great Recession, to serve as the Bureau’s next Director.

Most Americans Falling Behind on Retirement Planning

A report from Clever Real Estate, St. Louis, shows the majority of Americans are not saving enough money for their retirement—and retirees are living beyond their means.

2020 Foreclosure Activity at 16-Year Low

ATTOM Data Solutions, Irvine, Calif., said U.S. foreclosure filings fell to just over 200,000 in 2020, the lowest level since it began tracking such data in 2005.

CoreLogic: Mortgage Delinquencies Rise, But Pace Moderates

CoreLogic, Irvine, Calif., said on a national level, 6.1% of mortgages were in some stage of delinquency (30 days or more past due, including those in foreclosure) in October, a 2.4-percentage point increase from a year ago, when it was 3.7%.