Fair Lending/Anti-Discrimination – Page 5 – Consumer Financial Services Watch

Mortgage Industry Submits Comments on HUD’s Proposed Disparate-Impact Rule under the Fair Housing Act

Feb 01 2012

By: Paul F. Hancock, Andrew C. Glass, Melanie Hibbs Brody, Roger L. Smerage, Melissa S. Malpass, Gregory N. Blase

On January 17, 2012, K&L Gates LLP submitted the comments of six financial services trade associations to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the proposed rule to implement a disparate-impact legal standard under the Fair Housing Act. The trade associations on whose behalf we filed the comments are: the American Bankers Association, the American Financial Services Association, the Consumer Bankers Association, the Consumer Mortgage Coalition, the Independent Community Bankers of America, and the Mortgage Bankers Association.

To view the complete alert online, click here.

CFPB to Payday Lenders: We’re Coming for You – Cordray Tells Payday Lenders to Expect “Much More Attention” and Releases New Examination Guidelines for the Industry; Many Questions Left Unanswered

Feb 01 2012

By: David G. McDonough, Jr.

Payday lenders recently received their first peek at what life will be like under the CFPB’s watch, and it’s not a pretty picture. In the Bureau’s recently released examination procedures for payday lenders, the CFPB makes clear that it will examine every aspect of a payday lender’s operation, likely well beyond what most payday lenders have experienced to date with the patchwork of state regulation. Read More

CFPB Releases “Mortgage Origination Examination Procedures” Governing Banks and Nonbanks – Not a Prelude to a Kiss

Jan 20 2012

By: Jonathan D. Jaffe

The CFPB wants to get to know you – well. But it’s not a prelude to a kiss.

On January 12, 2012, the CFPB released its new Mortgage Origination Examination Procedures Governing Banks and Nonbanks (the “Procedures”). The release of the Procedures follows close on the heels of the CFPB’s October 13, 2011 release of its mortgage servicing examination procedures (see The CFPB Mortgage Servicing Examination Procedures Fail to Harmonize – Isn’t It Ironic? ), and its January 5, 2012 announcement of its nonbank supervision program (see CFPB Officially Launches Nonbank Supervision Program). Read More

CFPB Puts Inherited Consumer Financial Protection Regulations on the Table

Dec 23 2011

By: David A. Tallman

Adding to its already full plate, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (the “CFPB” or the “Bureau”) recently requested public comment on its review of the various consumer financial protection regulations it has inherited from other agencies. The request signals that the Bureau does not intend for its higher-profile mortgage finance initiatives to overshadow its mandate to update, modify (or even eliminate) outdated, unduly burdensome, or unnecessary existing regulations. It also suggests that the CFPB is contemplating that its initial review of the inherited regulations may extend beyond mere technical corrections to more significant substantive changes.

HUD’s Proposed Fair Lending Rule: Deadline for Comments

Dec 05 2011

By: Melissa S. Malpass

On November 16, 2011 the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”) released a proposed rule to establish that proof of intentional discrimination is not necessary to establish a violation of the Fair Housing Act, and that a violation may be established under a disparate impact approach. HUD’s proposal makes clear the intention of the agency to apply this new approach to lenders. In describing policies “that may have a disparate impact,” the proposal references: “mortgage pricing policies that give lenders or brokers discretion to impose additional charges or higher interest rates unrelated to a borrower’s creditworthiness” and “credit scoring overrides provided by a purchaser of loans.” Read More

Risky Business: CFPB’s New Consumer Risk Assessment Process

Nov 16 2011

By: David L. Beam, Rebecca Lobenherz, Stephanie C. Robinson

Those who have been concerned about the expansive powers of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB” or the “Bureau”) should ready themselves for the risk assessment reviews that the Bureau is about to initiate. The CFPB recently released the first edition of its Supervision and Examination Manual (“Examination Manual”), which provides an overview of the Bureau’s supervision planning process and details the Bureau’s examination procedures. A key component of the Examination Manual is the CFPB’s Consumer Risk Assessment process, which evaluates supervised entities based on the amount of risk their activities pose to consumers, identifies sources of risk, and assesses the quality of risk controls put in place by the supervised entities.

To view the complete alert online, click here.

Catagory:Fair Lending/Anti-Discrimination