Alston & Bird Consumer Finance Blog

Archives for July 28, 2019

Maryland Clarifies New Net Worth Requirements for Mortgage Servicers

A&B Abstract:

Effective October 1, 2019, the Maryland Commissioner of Financial Regulation will impose new net worth requirements on licensees. Importantly, Maryland servicing licensees without GSE approvals may not use a line of credit to satisfy the net worth requirements. However, mortgage servicers may include mortgage servicing rights in the calculation of tangible net worth.  The minimum net worth requirements for mortgage lender and broker licensees remain unchanged, but must be met with tangible net worth (excluding intangible assets such as copyright, trademark or goodwill).

Background

Since the financial crisis, the rapid growth of nonbank mortgage servicers has led regulators to call for enhanced oversight of such entities.  The Financial Stability Oversight Council (charged under the Dodd-Frank Act with identifying risks to the stability of the U.S. market) recommended in its 2014 annual report that state regulators work collaboratively to develop prudential and corporate governance standards.

In 2015, state regulators through CSBS and AARMR, proposed baseline and enhanced prudential regulatory standards (including capital and net worth requirements) for nonbank mortgage servicers. Although those standards were not finalized, several states – including Oregon and Washington – have imposed new net worth requirements on nonbank servicers.  Maryland is the latest state to update its law.

Maryland House Bill 61 and Advisory Notice

Maryland House Bill 61 takes effect October 1, 2019, and, among other changes adds net worth requirements for licensed mortgage servicers.  This means that current licensees must meet the revised requirements during the 2020 renewal cycle of November 1  to December 31, 2019.  Licensed servicers that meet the capital requirements of and are approved by a government sponsored entity (such as Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac) satisfy Maryland’s net worth requirements.

Maryland licensees without GSE approval must maintain a minimum tangible net worth that varies according to portfolio volume.  Specifically, the minimum net worth requirements are:

  • $100,000 if the unpaid principal balance of the entire servicing portfolio is less than or equal to $50,000,000;
  • $250,000 if the unpaid principal of the entire servicing portfolio is greater than $50,000,000  but less than or equal to $100,000,000
  • $500,000 if the unpaid principal balance of the entire servicing portfolio is greater than $100,000,000 but less than or equal to $250,000,000, or
  • $1,000,000 if the unpaid principal balance of the entire servicing portfolio is great than $250,000,000.

Limitations on Net Worth

Importantly, a servicer may not use a line of credit to satisfy the net worth requirements of a licensed mortgage servicer.  This is an important distinction from the requirements for mortgage lenders and broker net worth requirements, where a working line of credit (but not a warehouse line of credit) can be used to satisfy a portion of the net worth requirements.  It is also important to recognize that the new law requires tangible net worth for licensees.  The calculation of tangible net worth excludes intangible assets, such as copyrights, trademarks or goodwill.

Takeaway

The regulators have clarifies that mortgage servicing rights may be included in the calculation of tangible net worth. With the continued focus on nonbank mortgage servicers, capital and net worth requirements are worthy of attention.

New York DFS Launches Research and Innovation Division

A&B Abstract:

In an effort to position itself as the “Regulator of the Future,” the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) recently launched the Research and Innovation Division, which will be responsible for ensuring that the NYDFS keeps pace with the rapid changes in all sectors of the financial services industry.

Earlier this year, the NYDFS announced the creation of two other divisions, Consumer Protection & Financial Enforcement Division and the Cybersecurity Division of the NYDFS.  We addressed those developments in a previous post.

Creation of the Division

On July 23, 2019, Linda A. Lacewell, the Superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”), announced the establishment of a new Research and Innovation Division  (“Division”). Superintendent Lacewell remarked; “The financial services regulatory landscape needs to evolve and adapt as innovation in banking, insurance and regulatory technology continues to grow. This new division … position[s] the DFS as the regulator of the future, allowing the [NYDFS] to better protect consumers, develop best practices, and analyze market data to strengthen New York’s standing as the center of financial innovation.”

Division Responsibilities

Superintendent Lacewell established the Division so that New York “remains the jurisdiction of choice for innovators.” The Division is tasked with supporting internal transformation and market innovation. Importantly, the Division will be responsible for:

  • Licensing and supervising virtual currencies;
  • Assessing new efforts to use technology to address financial exclusion;
  • Identifying and protecting consumer data rights; and
  • Encouraging innovations in the financial services marketplace to preserve New York’s competitiveness as a financial innovation hub.

Division Leadership

Along with the creation of the Division, Superintendent Lacewell announced several leadership appointments within the Division. Matthew Homer will lead the Division as Executive Deputy Superintendent. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Homer was the Head of Policy and Research at Quovo, a New York fintech company providing open banking functionality for the financial services ecosystem, leading up to the company’s acquisition by fintech company Plaid, where he has worked since. Matthew Siegel and Olivia Bumgardner will be Deputy Superintendents of the Division. Mr. Siegel most recently served as a Trial Attorney in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Ms. Bumgardner is currently Director of Research for the NYDFS.  She has served as an economist responsible for the analysis of the NYDFS’ most complicated financial transactions and a leader of the NYDFS’s key initiatives relative to virtual currency, cybersecurity and financial inclusion. Andrew Lucas will serve as Counsel to the division. Previously, Mr. Lucas served as the Director of the NYDFS’s Department of Financial Innovation.

Takeaway

The creation of the Division marks a substantial change in the NYDFS’s relationship with rapidly evolving financial services technology companies. We believe that this will impact such companies that do business in New York, particularly those seeking BitLicenses with the NYDFS. We are actively monitoring the development of the Division, and are hopeful that this results in more favorable treatment of fintech companies by the NYDFS.