CFPB: 9 New Rules for Mortgage Servicers
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a final rule for mortgage servicers. The intention is to protect struggling borrowers, surviving family members and borrowers in bankruptcy from the threat of a swift foreclosure. The new rule also protects homeowners when their mortgage is transferred to another servicer.
The following is an overview of the 9 new CFPB servicer requirements.
1. Successors in Interest
The CFPB is finalizing 3 sets of rule changes relating to successors in interest:
- Adopting definitions of successor in interest for
purposes of Regulation X’s subpart C and Regulation Z that are modeled on the categories of
transfers protected under section 341(d) of the Garn-St. Germain Act - Finalizing rules relating to how a mortgage servicer confirms a successor in interest’s identity and
ownership interest - Applying the Regulation X and Z mortgage servicing
rules to successors in interest once a servicer confirms the successor in interest’s status
2. Definition of Delinquency
The CFPB is finalizing a general definition of delinquency
that applies to all of the servicing provisions of Regulation X and the provisions regarding
periodic statements for mortgage loans in Regulation Z. Delinquency means a period of time
during which a borrower and a borrower’s mortgage loan obligation are delinquent. A borrower
and a borrower’s mortgage loan obligation are delinquent beginning on the date a periodic
payment sufficient to cover principal, interest, and, if applicable, escrow, becomes due and
unpaid, until such time as no periodic payment is due and unpaid.
3. Requests for Information
The CFPB is finalizing amendments that change how a
servicer must respond to requests for information asking for ownership information for loans in
trust for which the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) is the owner of the loan or the trustee of the securitization
trust in which the loan is held.
4. Force-Placed Insurance
The CFPB is finalizing amendments to the force-placed
insurance disclosures and model forms to account for when a servicer wishes to force-place
insurance when the borrower has insufficient, rather than expiring or expired, hazard insurance
coverage on the property. Additionally, servicers now will have the option to include a
borrower’s mortgage loan account number on the notices required under § 1024.37. The Bureau
also is finalizing several technical edits to correct discrepancies between the model forms and the
text of § 1024.37.
5. Early Intervention
The CFPB is clarifying the early intervention live contact
obligations for servicers to establish or make good faith efforts to establish live contact so long
as the borrower remains delinquent. The Bureau is also clarifying requirements regarding the
frequency of the written early intervention notices, including when there is a servicing transfer.
In addition, regarding certain borrowers who are in bankruptcy or who have invoked their cease
communication rights under the FDCPA, the Bureau is finalizing exemptions for servicers from
complying with the live contact obligations but requiring servicers to provide written early
intervention notices under certain circumstances.
6. Loss Mitigation
The CFPB is finalizing several amendments relating to the loss
mitigation requirements. The final rule:
- Requires servicers to meet the loss mitigation
requirements more than once in the life of a loan for borrowers who become current on payments
at any time between the borrower’s prior complete loss mitigation application and a subsequent
loss mitigation application - Modifies an existing exception to the 120-day prohibition on
foreclosure filing to allow a servicer to join the foreclosure action of a superior or subordinate lienholder - Clarifies how servicers select the reasonable date by which a borrower should
return documents and information to complete an application - Clarifies that, if the servicer has
already made the first notice or filing, and a borrower timely submits a complete loss mitigation
application:- The servicer must not move for foreclosure judgment or order of sale, or conduct
a foreclosure sale, even where the sale proceedings are conducted by a third party, unless one of
the specified circumstances is met (i.e., the borrower’s loss mitigation application is properly
denied, withdrawn, or the borrower fails to perform on a loss mitigation agreement) - That
absent one of the specified circumstances, conduct of the sale violates the rule - That the
servicer must instruct foreclosure counsel promptly not to make any further dispositive motion,
to avoid a ruling or order on a pending dispositive motion, or to prevent conduct of a foreclosure
sale, unless one of the specified circumstances is met - That the servicer is not relieved
from its obligations by counsel’s actions or inactions - Requires that servicers provide a written
notice to a borrower within five days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, or legal holidays) after they
receive a complete loss mitigation application and requires that the notice:- Indicate that the
servicer has received a complete application - Provide the date of completion, a statement that
the servicer expects to complete its evaluation within 30 days from the date it received the
complete application, and an explanation that the borrower is entitled to certain specific
foreclosure protections and may be entitled to additional protections under State or Federal law - Clarify that the servicer might need additional information later, in which case the evaluation
could take longer and the foreclosure protections could end if the servicer does not receive the
information as requested
- Indicate that the
- Sets forth how servicers must attempt to obtain information not in
the borrower’s control and evaluate a loss mitigation application while waiting for third party
information; requires servicers to exercise reasonable diligence to obtain the information and
prohibits servicers from denying borrowers solely because a servicer lacks required information
not in the borrower’s control, except under certain circumstances; requires servicers in this
circumstance to complete all possible steps in the evaluation process within the 30 days,
notwithstanding the lack of the required third-party information; requires that servicers promptly
provide a written notice to the borrower if the servicer lacks required third party information 30
days after receiving the borrower’s complete application and cannot evaluate the application in
accordance with applicable requirements established by the owner or assignee of the mortgage
loan; and requires servicers to notify borrowers of their determination on the application in
writing promptly upon receipt of the third party information it lacked - Permits servicers to
offer a short-term repayment plan based upon an evaluation of an incomplete loss mitigation
application - Clarifies that servicers may stop collecting documents and information from a
borrower for a particular loss mitigation option after receiving information confirming that,
pursuant to any requirements established by the owner or assignee, the borrower is ineligible for
that option; and clarifies that servicers may not stop collecting documents and information for
any loss mitigation option based solely upon the borrower’s stated preference but may stop
collecting documents and information for any loss mitigation option based on the borrower’s
stated preference in conjunction with other information, as prescribed by requirements
established by the owner or assignee of the mortgage loan - Addresses and clarifies how
loss mitigation procedures and timelines apply when a transferee servicer receives a mortgage
loan for which there is a loss mitigation application pending at the time of a servicing transfer.
- The servicer must not move for foreclosure judgment or order of sale, or conduct
7. Prompt Payment Crediting
The CFPB is clarifying how servicers must treat periodic
payments made by consumers who are performing under either temporary loss mitigation
programs or permanent loan modifications. Periodic payments made pursuant to temporary loss mitigation programs must continue to be credited according to the loan contract and could, if
appropriate, be credited as partial payments, while periodic payments made pursuant to a
permanent loan modification must be credited under the terms of the permanent loan agreement.
8. Periodic Statements
The CFPB is finalizing several requirements relating to periodic
statements. The final rule:
- Clarifies certain periodic statement disclosure requirements
relating to mortgage loans that have been accelerated, are in temporary loss mitigation programs,
or have been permanently modified, to conform generally the disclosure of the amount due with
the Bureau’s understanding of the legal obligation in each of those circumstances, including that
the amount due may only be accurate for a specified period of time when a mortgage loan has
been accelerated - Requires servicers to send modified periodic statements (or coupon books,
where servicers are otherwise permitted to send coupon books instead of periodic statements) to
consumers who have filed for bankruptcy, subject to certain exceptions, with content varying
depending on whether the consumer is a debtor in a chapter 7 or 11 bankruptcy case, or a chapter
12 or 13 bankruptcy case; and includes proposed sample periodic statement forms that servicers
may use for consumers in bankruptcy to ensure compliance with § 1026.41 - Exempts
servicers from the periodic statement requirement for charged-off mortgage loans if the servicer
will not charge any additional fees or interest on the account and provides a periodic statement
including additional disclosures related to the effects of charge-off
9. Small Servicer
The CFPB is finalizing certain changes to the small servicer
determination. The small servicer exemption generally applies to servicers who service 5,000 or
fewer mortgage loans for all of which the servicer is the creditor or assignee. The final rule
excludes certain seller-financed transactions and mortgage loans voluntarily serviced for a non-affiliate,
even if the non-affiliate is not a creditor or assignee, from being counted toward the 5,000 loan limit, allowing servicers that would otherwise qualify for small servicer status to
retain their exemption while servicing those transactions.
In addition to the changes discussed above, the final rule also makes technical corrections
and minor clarifications to wording throughout several provisions of Regulations X and Z that
generally are not substantive in nature.
Read the CFPB’s Final Rule for Mortgage Servicers here
How Servicers Can Ensure CFPB Compliance
Our QC servicing audit is the solution to
assist in meeting these new CFPB requirements and your loan servicing quality control needs overall.
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Contact us to learn more about mortgage servicing QC audits and compliance