On July 10, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a proposal to amend the existing mortgage servicing rules in Regulation X. The substance of the proposal has attracted a lot of attention and deservedly so. If enacted, the proposed rule would completely overhaul the default servicing framework in Regulation X and institute mandatory
Jonathan R. Kolodziej
Jonathan Kolodziej represents all types of consumer financial service providers in regulatory compliance, examination and enforcement matters. Through this work, he has assisted bank and non-bank mortgage servicers, mortgage originators, debt collectors, depository institutions, credit card issuers, small dollar lenders, reverse mortgage companies, investment firms, and various industry trade associations.
CFPB Releases Long-Awaited Proposed Mortgage Servicing Rule; Bradley to Host Webinar on July 15
On Wednesday, July 10, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released its long-awaited and much anticipated proposal to amend Regulation X. As expected, the proposal focuses primarily on default servicing requirements and would impose an entirely new framework for regulating how loss mitigation is handled in the mortgage servicing industry. Other topics are…
CFPB: Ineffective Loan Servicing Is an Abusive Act or Practice
In a consent order with a reverse mortgage servicer on June 18, 2024, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) made the argument that failing to effectively service loans is abusive. The groundwork for this line of thinking was laid out by the current CFPB administration through various statements and guidance documents, but the public order…
Did the CFPB Create New Obligations for Mortgage Servicers in Its Supervisory Highlights Report?
While the Spring 2024 Supervisory Highlights report issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) largely covered loss mitigation deficiencies and fee practices — issues that are regulatory priorities and, therefore, top of mind for mortgage servicers — two potentially under-the-radar findings outlined in the report are actually noteworthy and merit further analysis. First, in…
Banks and Credit Unions Utilizing Ineffective Chatbots May Risk Violating Federal Law
In an October 2023 advisory opinion, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) put large banks and credit unions on notice that the use of chatbots and other technologies could increase the risk of violating federal law if those services are ineffective. As we have previously written about, the CFPB’s advisory opinion interprets Section…
Creditors Should Review Their Use of Immigration Status When Accepting and Evaluating Applications
On October 12, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a joint statement emphasizing the risk associated with considering an applicant’s immigration status when making credit decisions. Specifically, the CFPB and DOJ emphasized that creditors should carefully consider how they use immigration status when accepting and evaluating applications and should…
COVID-19 National Emergency Ends Sooner than Anticipated, Creating Risks for Mortgage Servicers
Three years after it began, the presidentially declared COVID-19 national emergency is officially over. On April 10, 2023, President Biden signed H. J. Res. 7, officially ending the COVID-19 national emergency a month earlier than anticipated. For mortgage servicers who had been led to believe that the national emergency would remain in place for another…
CFPB Updates Mortgage Servicing Exam Procedures
On January 18, 2023, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released an updated version of its Mortgage Servicing Examination Manual. As the CFPB described in a corresponding blog post, the manual outlines “the types of information that CFPB examiners gather to evaluate mortgage servicers’ policies and procedures; assess whether servicers are complying with…
CFPB Releases Report on Credit Reporting Agencies, Suggests Future Reforms
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report (2022 CFPB Report) on January 3, 2023, detailing information and trends related to how nationwide consumer reporting agencies (NCRAs) responded to consumer complaints from October 2021 to September 2022.
Under Section 611(e)(3) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), NCRAs, including Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion, are…
We Wish You a Happy Thanksgiving as We Count Our Blessings
As we all hit the grocery store for that forgotten cranberry sauce and send a few last urgent work emails, we hope everyone is able to be with friends and family this Thanksgiving. Here at Bradley, we are counting our blessings and looking back at another remarkable year. We are thankful for being able to…