October 2012 – Consumer Financial Services Watch

Consumer Advisory Board holds its inaugural meeting

Oct 24 2012

The Consumer Advisory Board (“CAB”) held its inaugural meeting on September 27th in St. Louis. Composed of bank and credit union executives, consumer advocates and community development officials (click here to view the biographies), the CAB is required by the Dodd-Frank Act, which mandates that the CAB “provide information on emerging practices in the consumer financial products or services industry” to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB” or the “Bureau”). The CAB replaces the Consumer Advisory Council, which for 35 years advised the Federal Reserve Board on consumer financial services matters.

Regulators Highlight Hot Topics in Fair Lending: Are You Ready?

Oct 19 2012

By: Elena Grigera Babinecz

This week the Non-Discrimination Working Group of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force sponsored a webinar highlighting emerging fair lending issues and hot topics that financial institutions should be aware of as regulatory agencies continue to focus their attention on discrimination in the housing and finance markets. Whether you’re in the business of making residential mortgage, commercial, student, auto, or payday loans, or you offer credit cards, it is important to understand the regulators’ areas of interest and to ensure that your compliance program is designed to monitor and address any potential concerns in these areas. Read More

CFPB’s Proposed Rule on Receiving a Copy of Your Appraisal and Valuation

Oct 10 2012

By: Nanci L. Weissgold, Kerri M. Smith

Although Congress mandated the sunset of the Home Valuation Code of Conduct (HVCC) in the Dodd-Frank Act, Congress effectively codified many of its requirements, including the obligation to furnish a copy of an appraisal to borrowers. To implement this statutory change to ECOA, the CFPB proposes to amend Regulation B to make the furnishing of “any and all written appraisals and valuations” developed in connection with the application for a first-lien loan mandatory, rather than at the consumer’s request. Comments to the ECOA proposed rule are due on October 15, 2012.

Archive:October 2012