CFPB Proposes Amendment to Regulation C to Clarify HMDA Rule
On April 13, the CFPB announced the release of its proposal to amend Regulation C (12 CFR Part 1003), the regulation that implemented the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) and requires lenders to collect, report and disclose data on home loan applications, originations, and purchases of mortgage loans. On October 15, 2015, the Bureau updated the HMDA reporting requirements to expand the data collection scope, while simultaneously streamlining certain existing requirements (see Special Alert: CFPB Adopts Significant Expansion of HMDA Reporting Requirements). According to the Bureau’s press release, the 2017 proposed amendment is intended to “help financial institutions comply with the 2015 HMDA Final Rule by clarifying the information they are required to collect and report about their mortgage lending.” Specifically, the regulation, as amended, will establish “transition rules” for both “loan purpose” and the “unique identifier” for the loan originator. The transition rules will also allow financial institutions to report “not applicable” for these two data points. Furthermore, the proposal will make additional amendments to clarify certain key terms, such as “temporary financing” and “automated underwriting system,” and create a new reporting exception for certain transactions associated with New York State agreements. Comments on the proposal will be due within 30 days of its publication in the Federal Register.