Mortgage Loan Originators

FEMA Releases Flood Insurance Rating Methodology Under Risk Rating 2.0On April 1, 2021, FEMA released its highly anticipated flood insurance rating methodology, Risk Rating 2.0-Equity in Action.

FEMA first announced “Risk Rating 2.0-Equity in Action” in March 2019 as an effort to improve flood maps and offer rates that are fair, easy to understand, and more aligned with a property’s unique flood risks. The

On March 31, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) rescinded seven recent policy statements and one bulletin in an effort to ensure compliance with consumer protection laws and reinforce its supervisory and enforcement authority. These rescissions are effective April 1, 2021.

The policy statements, which were issued between March 26 through June 3, 2020,

New York DFS Turns Up the Heat with Climate Change BulletinThe New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has issued a bulletin on climate change and financial risks to the financial institutions and insurance companies it supervises regarding the impact of climate change on those institutions. DFS asserts that “[f]inancial risks from climate change are unprecedented” and notes a warning from the Bank for International

FHA Posts Proposed Rule Permitting Acceptance of Private Flood InsuranceOn November 10, 2020, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)  released a proposed amendment to Federal Housing Administration (FHA) regulations that would allow lenders to accept private flood insurance policies on FHA-insured properties located in Special Flood Hazard Areas. HUD will accept comments for 60 days following the date the proposed rule,

Federal Reserve Implements Aggressive Liquidity Campaign as Growing Corporate Debt Threatens to Exacerbate COVID-19 Economic TollIn response to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, Congress recently approved a $2 trillion stimulus package in an attempt to offset the potentially disastrous economic effects of COVID-19. Meanwhile, central banks are implementing increasingly drastic measures aimed at preserving the availability of capital during the looming recession, which appears increasingly imminent as the global economy remains

Federal Regulatory Agencies Offer Interagency Statement Regarding COVID-19-Related Loan Modifications and Status ReportingThe Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors issued an Interagency Statement on March 22 urging regulated financial institutions to work with borrowers affected

Updates from 12 State Regulatory Agencies Regarding Coronavirus and Related Work from Home IssuesAs regulatory agencies provide guidance regarding working from home for financial services professionals while the COVID-19 outbreak progresses, we summarized the additional guidance issued in the recent past and current as of March 24, 2020.

California Department of Real Estate Released Frequently Asked Questions Relating to COVID-19

The California Department of Real Estate’s Frequently Asked

COVID-19 and the Mortgage Industry: 7 Things We Know TodayOperating a financial institution is always a challenge, but the COVID-19 outbreak has triggered a unique set of overlapping and sometimes conflicting concerns for mortgage originators and servicers. Here is what we know as of March 20:

  1. On March 18, 2020, HUD issued Mortgagee Letter 2020-04, announcing a 60-day moratorium for foreclosures and evictions,

Four Additional States Issue New Guidance Relating to Working from Home; Massachusetts and New York Supplement Previous GuidanceAs we continue to follow the trend of regulatory agencies providing guidance allow working from home for financial services professionals while the COVID-19 outbreak progresses, we summarized the additional guidance issued in the recent past and current as of March 19, 2020.

Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies, Division of Real Estate Issued an Advisory on

HUD, Fannie Mae, and Freddie Mac Suspend Foreclosures and Evictions for 60 DaysDuring a COVID-19 press briefing at the White House on March 18, 2020, President Donald Trump announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will temporarily suspend “all foreclosures and evictions.” The president made this announcement to provide “immediate relief” to homeowners and renters struggling to make rent and mortgage payments. The president’s