Alston & Bird Consumer Finance Blog

Mortgage Servicing

CFPB Issues CARES Act Consumer Reporting FAQs

By

A&B ABstract

On June 16th, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB” or “Bureau”) issued a Compliance Aid titled “Consumer Reporting FAQs Related to the CARES Act and COVID-19 Pandemic.” This Compliance Aid clarifies the Bureau’s April 1, 2020 Statement that providing furnishers flexibility in handling disputes during the pandemic is not unlimited, putting consumer reporting agencies and furnishers on notice that the Bureau is enforcing the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”), as amended by the CARES Act, and its implementing Regulation V.  The Compliance Aid also addresses questions on reporting CARES Act accommodations.

CFPB Focusing on Credit Reporting Accuracy and Dispute Handling

In its April 1, 2020 statement, the Bureau indicated that while furnishers are expected to comply with the CARES Act, the Bureau “does not intend to cite in examinations or take enforcement actions against those who furnish information to [CRAs] that accurately reflects the payment relief measures they are employing” and will not take enforcement or supervisory actions against furnishers and CRAs for failing to timely investigate consumer disputes. On June 16th the Bureau clarified that it is enforcing FCRA and that while it previously provided some flexibility the April 1st Statement “did not state that the Bureau would give furnishers or CRAs an unlimited time beyond the statutory deadlines to investigate disputes before the Bureau would take supervisory or enforcement action.”  The Bureau warns that it will take public enforcement action against companies or individuals that fail to comply with FCRA, but will consider the unique circumstances that entities face as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and entities’ good faith efforts to timely investigate disputes.

CARES Act Amendment to FCRA

Section 4021 of the CARES Act amends FCRA by adding a new section providing a special instruction for reporting consumer credit information to credit reporting agencies during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Specifically, if a creditor or other furnisher offers an “accommodation” to a consumer affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in connection with a credit obligation or account, and the consumer satisfies the conditions of such accommodation, the furnisher must:

  • report the credit obligation or account as “current;” or
  • if the credit obligation or account was delinquent before the accommodation maintain the delinquent status during the effective period of the accommodation, or, if the consumer brings the account current during such period, then to report the account as current.

Stated differently by the CFPB, “during the accommodation, the furnisher cannot advance the delinquent status.” The CFPB provides the following example:

If the credit obligation or account was current before the accommodation, during the accommodation the furnisher must continue to report the credit obligation or account as current.

If the credit obligation or account was delinquent before the accommodation, during the accommodation the furnisher cannot advance the delinquent status. For example, if at the time of the accommodation the furnisher was reporting the consumer as 30 days past due, during the accommodation the furnisher may not report the account as 60 days past due. If during the accommodation the consumer brings the credit obligation or account current, the furnisher must report the credit obligation or account as current. This could occur, for example, if the accommodation itself brings the credit obligation or account current (such as a loan modification that resolves amounts past due so the borrower is no longer considered delinquent) or if the consumer makes past due payments that bring the credit obligation or account current.

An “accommodation,” as defined in this section, includes relief granted to impacted consumers such as an agreement to defer a payment, make a partial payment, grant forbearance, modify a loan or contract, or any other assistance or relief granted to a consumer affected by COVID-19. The reporting requirements do not apply to charged-off accounts.  This section applies from January 31, 2020 through the later of 120 days after: (i) enactment of this section, or (ii) termination of the national emergency declaration.

Questions on Reporting Accommodations under FCRA

There has been much confusion in how the CARES Act requirements translate into Metro 2 reporting requirements.  The CFPB offers the following guidance:

  • When furnishers are reporting an account to the CRAs, furnishers are expected to understand all the CRA’s data fields, to ensure that the information reported accurately reflects a consumer’s status as current or delinquent. Specifically, the Bureau provides “information a furnisher provides about an account’s payment status, scheduled monthly payment, and the amount past due may all need to be updated to accurately reflect that a consumer’s account is current consistent with the CARES Act.”
  • With respect to the use of special comment codes, the CFPB provides that “Furnishing a special comment code indicating that a consumer with an account is impacted by a disaster or that the consumer’s account is in forbearance does not provide consumer reporting agencies with this CARES Act-required information.  Left unaddressed is whether servicers are permitted to report special comment codes and other fields as required by CDIA/Metro2.
  • With respect to reporting the status of an account after an accommodation ends, the Bureau provides two instructions.  First, the Bureau states “[a]ssuming payments were not required or the consumer met any payment requirements of the accommodation, a furnisher cannot report a consumer that was reported as current pursuant to the CARES Act as delinquent based on the time period covered by the accommodation after the accommodation end.” Second, “a furnisher also cannot advance the delinquency of a consumer that was maintained pursuant to the CARES Act based on the time period covered by the accommodation after the accommodation ends.”

Questions remain on how to address a consumer’s delinquency after an accommodation ends if the delinquency hasn’t been resolved through loss mitigation or otherwise.  Also unaddressed is whether furnishers are permitted to report (i) a “special comment code” for natural disaster or forbearance or (ii) the “terms frequency” field (each of which can indicate an account is in forbearance or deferment, even while the “account status code” field is marked “current”), without violating the CARES Act requirement to report borrowers in forbearance as “current.”

Takeaway

CFPB has put furnishers on notice that the Bureau will begin to enforce the CARES Act credit reporting requirements.  Companies should pay attention to credit reporting complaint trends in the coming months.  Companies should also document good faith efforts to comply and respond to disputes as soon as possible.  Last, with the CFPB’s revised Responsible Business Conduct Policy, companies may consider getting in front of any issues while the environment is still favorable. Once forbearance ends and foreclosures resume, and given where we are in the election cycle, the situation could turn political this Fall and the enforcement posture could change.

Alston & Bird Hosts Calabria, Kraninger to Discuss COVID-19 Challenges

By

A&B ABstract: On June 15, Alston & Bird partners Nanci Weissgold and Brian Johnson hosted Dr. Mark A. Calabria, Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Kathy Kraninger, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, to discuss federal regulatory responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and how they affect consumer lending and mortgage servicing.

The discussion was the inaugural event in Alston & Bird’s Financial Services Regulatory Speaker Series.

Pandemic Response

Directors Kraninger and Calabria first addressed their respective agencies’ efforts (individually and jointly) to respond to the effects of the pandemic.

Focusing on efforts relating to the GSEs, Dr. Calabria discussed the foreclosure moratorium (which he stated will soon be extended past June 30), and the focus on borrowers who are truly suffering a hardship.  He further indicated that approximately a quarter of borrowers in forbearance are continuing to make payments, which lead to the agency’s announcement in May that such borrowers will be treated as current for purposes of eligibility for refinancings or new purchases.

Director Kraninger expressed pride in the CFPB’s broad-based response to the crisis, and specifically mentioned efforts to educate consumers on their rights and expectations for relief, adjusting supervisory and enforcement processes to be more responsive to current needs and circumstances, and engaging all of the CFPB’s stakeholders in regulatory work (including the production of guidance relating to mortgages and consumer loans).

Market Prognosis

Asked for his assessment of the overall health of the residential mortgage market, Dr. Calabria compared current circumstances favorably to the 2008 financial crisis.  He specifically referenced the low number of GSE loans for which borrowers are underwater, indicating that borrowers with equity are less likely to walk away.  However, he anticipated that it will not be until the fourth quarter of the year that the true “wild card” – the number of loans in forbearance that will go into delinquency and foreclosure – will be known.

Coordinated Action

Director Kraninger stressed the importance of federal regulators acting in concert, and continuing conversations with the states to send a “clear signal across the regulatory landscape” of expectations for regulated institutions to accommodate their customers.  She stressed that the CFPB is using the examination process to conduct priority assessments as an opportunity to engage institutions, understanding how forbearance programs work and how they are engaging consumers.  Regulated institutions, she said, should expect the process to be iterative, rather than only a matter of identifying violations.

CARES Act and the Mortgage Servicing Rules

With respect to the interplay of the CARES Act and the Mortgage Servicing Rules, Director Kraninger addressed specific concerns regarding payment deferral.  Specifically, as to whether servicers are required to collect a complete loss mitigation application before approving a borrower for a payment deferral, she indicated that the CFPB is actively working with the FHFA on how best to provide options to consumers, and that the agencies expect to provide clarification on how the Mortgage Servicing Rules apply to CARES Act deferrals in the near term.  In the longer term, Director Kraninger suggested that the CFPB is considering new provisions  of the Rules applicable to national disasters (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic, or severe weather).

Takeaways

Closing the discussion, Directors Calabria and Kraninger discussed overall perceptions of their agencies’ responses to the pandemic. Director Kraninger reiterated that the CFPB is committed to making clear its expectations for regulated entities.  By comparison to the financial crisis, the CFPB is focused on getting ahead of issues (e.g., with the credit reporting industry).

Dr. Calabria said that the greatest misunderstanding about the CARES Act relates to the scope of and eligibility for forbearance.  Borrowers are eligible for “up to” a year of forbearance – a ceiling, not a floor.  Additionally, to obtain an initial forbearance and the optional extension, a borrower must have suffered (and continue to suffer) economic hardship relating to the pandemic.  Thus, he indicated, initial estimates about the number of loans that would be in forbearance were too high.  Further, the number of borrowers with significant equity in their homes makes it more likely for the impact of the pandemic to be a liquidity event, not a solvency event.

Alston & Bird thanks Directors Calabria and Kraninger for sharing their insights with the hundreds of listeners in attendance. Stay tuned for more events in the series.

CFPB Announces Two Updates Relating to COVID-19 Pandemic

By

A&B ABstract:

Last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued two announcements of interest to servicers as they continue to respond to borrowers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Consumer Complaint Report:

On May 21, the CFPB issued a report analyzing approximately 4500 complaints relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.  Among other findings, the report indicates that approximately 22 percent of COVID-19 related complaints addressed mortgages; inability to pay appeared as the most common issue.

The report’s observations include that consumers:

  • complained about being unable to reach customer service representatives, or having access to methods other than telephone contact to discuss payment options;
  • indicated concerns about potential negative credit reporting implications of alternative payment options; and
  • indicated concerns about repayment options at the end of a forbearance period, particularly whether a lump-sum or balloon payment would be required.

No-Action Letter Template:

On May 22, the CFPB issued a No-Action Letter Template permitting mortgage servicers who are seeking to engage in loss mitigation activities with consumers.  The template, requested by Brace Software, Inc., would permit servicers to use Brace’s online platform (an online version of Fannie Mae Form 710) to implement loss mitigation efforts.  According to the CFPB’s announcement,  digitizing the loss mitigation application process may improve its operation.

The No-Action Letter is the latest example of the CFPB’s use of the No-Action Letter Policy announced in September 2019 as part of the CFPB’s effort to promote innovation and facilitate compliance.

Takeaway:

Taken together, these two announcements are indicative of the Bureau’s continued focus on the impact of COVID-19 on borrowers, and on how servicers are responding to borrower needs.

 

Attorneys General Urge FHFA and HUD to Take Additional Measures to Protect Borrowers Affected by COVID-19

By ,

A&B Abstract:

On April 23, 2020, the attorneys general of 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico (the “Attorneys General”) sent two letters, one to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (“FHFA”) and the other to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD” and collectively with FHFA, the “Agencies”), respectively, noting that the “national response must recognize the unique challenges presented by the unprecedented number of homeowners who are affected by COVID-19, including the fact that all of these homeowners need relief at the same time..[and that] [m]eeting this challenge will require straightforward and consistent guidance that can be quickly operationalized.”  As a result, the Attorneys General urged the Agencies to make changes to their respective guidelines addressing COVID-19-related mortgage and foreclosure relief.

Revision of Forbearance Programs

The Attorneys General acknowledged that forbearance plans are a critical first response to borrowers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  However, the Attorneys General expressed concern that both the mortgage servicing industry and homeowners will become overwhelmed if changes are not made.   The Attorneys General recommended or encouraged that:

  • the Agencies “issue simple, self-executing guidance that servicers can easily implement to meet demand while providing an immediate, responsive resolution to borrowers.” The Attorneys General specifically expressed concern about HUD guidelines requiring an individualized evaluation for every borrower who receives a CARES Act forbearance, as well as guidelines issued by both of the Agencies requiring an individualized evaluation for borrowers coming out of forbearance, due to “grave doubts about servicers’ abilities to effectively manage the unprecedented number of borrowers who will be emerging from forbearance plans related to COVID-19 if individualized evaluations are required for each borrower.”
  • the Agencies amend their forbearance programs so that the obligation to repay forborne payments is automatically placed at the end of the loan term in the form of additional monthly payments that will follow the current term of the loan.  The Attorneys General noted that “there can be no reasonable expectation that a borrower who has experience a loss of employment or a reduction in income will be able to repay the forborne payments in a lump sum at the end of the forbearance period.” FHFA subsequently clarified its repayment requirements for its forbearance program on April 27, 2020.
  • the Agencies issue guidance allowing these post-forbearance agreements to occur without requiring borrowers to execute any additional documents, such as a loan modification agreement or a promissory note for the forborne payments, or at least waiving or easing those requirements until the pandemic abates.
  • FHFA to clarify that a borrower may receive a forbearance based on the borrower’s verbal attestation of a hardship related to COVID-19, and to encourage servicers to proactively notify borrowers of their right to verbally request a forbearance.

Expanded Eligibility for Disaster Relief-Related Modifications and Loss Mitigation Programs

The Attorneys General urged the Agencies to expand their eligibility standards for post-forbearance loss mitigation programs to enable a greater number of borrowers to qualify.  The Attorneys General urged HUD to reconsider its decision to remove the Disaster Loan Modification option for borrowers affected by COVID-19.  Further, the Attorneys General requested that the Agencies revise their respective loan modification eligibility criteria to ensure these programs have the same reach as the forbearance program mandated by the CARES Act, as the Agencies’ current guidelines impose several delinquency-related eligibility requirements.  For example:

  • Under current Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guidelines, borrowers affected by COVID-19 are eligible for any one of three modification programs. Currently, however, a borrower is only eligible for such programs if the borrower was current or less than 31 days delinquent as of March 13, 2020. Additional delinquency-related eligibility criteria apply for the Cap and Extend Modification and Flex Modification programs.
  • Under current HUD guidelines, a borrower is only eligible for the COVID-19 Partial Claim if the borrower was current or less than 30 days delinquent as of March 1, 2020 and the partial claim amount does not exceed 30 percent of the unpaid balance. If a borrower is ineligible for the COVID-19 Partial Claim, then the borrower will be reviewed for HUD’s FHA-HAMP program. The Attorneys General noted that the FHA-HAMP program has additional seasoning requirements, such as requiring the borrower to have made at least 4 payments and the loan to have aged at least 12 months.

The Attorneys General urged the Agencies to waive the delinquency status requirements of these modification programs and noted that post-forbearance modification programs should be commensurate with the forbearance plans required by the CARES Act, as the CARES Act requires forbearance for any borrower experiencing a COVID-19 financial hardship regardless of delinquency status.  Moreover, the CARES Act authorizes forbearances of up to 360 days, so many borrowers receiving CARES Act forbearances will be more than 360 days delinquent by the end of the forbearance period.

Eviction and Foreclosure Moratoriums

Finally, the Attorneys General urged the Agencies to “instruct servicers that they also must suspend all foreclosures and evictions currently in process and cannot move forward to complete any step in the judicial or non-judicial foreclosure or eviction process while the moratorium is in place,” to address differences in various states’ foreclosure and eviction processes.

Currently, the CARES Act states that servicers of federally backed mortgages may not initiate any judicial or non-judicial foreclosures process, move for a foreclosure judgment or order of sale, or execute a foreclosure-related eviction or foreclosure sale until at least May 17, 2020. The Attorneys General asserted that advancing any step of the eviction or foreclosure process during a forbearance related to COVID-19 will only lead to borrower confusion and harm.

Takeaway

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect homeowners and the mortgage servicing industry, there will likely be continued political pressure on the Agencies to further revise servicer loss mitigation guidelines. Servicers will need to be vigilant to stay on top of the rapidly evolving market conditions and regulatory environment.

 

Delaware Governor Issues Order Restricting Residential Foreclosures and Evictions

By ,

A&B Abstract:

On March 24, 2020, Delaware Governor, John Carney, issued a Sixth Modification (the “Order”) to the Declaration of a State of Emergency (the “State of Emergency”) initially issued on March 12, 2020. The Order addresses a number of issues that impact residential mortgage loan servicers, including restrictions on residential foreclosures and evictions and certain fees or charges.

Restrictions on Late Fees and Excess Interest for Missed Payments

The Order provides that with respect to any missed payment on a residential mortgage occurring during the State of Emergency, no late fee or excess interest may be charged or accrue on the account for such residential mortgage during the State of Emergency.  One could interpret this language to mean that while no late fees or additional interest may be charged or accrued with respect to a missed payment, regularly scheduled interest due on the missed payment may be charged.  While not free from doubt, arguably this provision applies only to owner-occupied 1- to 4-family primary residential property, as this provision immediately follows the below restriction on the commencement of a foreclosure action, which is so limited.

 Foreclosure Restrictions

The Order imposes restrictions on a mortgage servicer’s ability to initiate or complete a foreclosure action or sale and to charge certain fees or interest.  Specifically, until the State of Emergency is terminated and the public health emergency is rescinded, the provisions of the Delaware Code relating to residential mortgage foreclosures, including Subchapter XI, Chapter 49 of Title 10, are modified in the following respects:

  • A servicer may not commence a residential mortgage foreclosure action with respect to any owner-occupied 1- to 4-family primary residential property that is subject to a mortgage; the Order excludes from this restriction any mortgage that is held by the seller of the subject property who does not hold more than five such mortgages;
  • For any residential mortgage foreclosure action initiated prior to the declaration of the State of Emergency, all deadlines in that action, including those related to the Automatic Residential Mortgage Foreclosure Mediation Program established pursuant to § 5062C of Title 10 of the Delaware Code, are extended until 31 days following the termination of the State of Emergency and the rescission of the public health emergency and no late fees or interest may be charged to or accrued on the balance due on the mortgage that is the subject of the residential mortgage foreclosure action during this time period;
  • No residential property that is the subject of a residential mortgage foreclosure action, for which a judgment of foreclosure was issued prior to the declaration of the State of Emergency, may proceed to sheriff’s sale until 31 days following the termination of the State of Emergency and the rescission of the public health emergency; and
  • No residential property that was the subject of a residential mortgage foreclosure action, and which was sold at sheriff’s sale, may be subject to action of ejectment or writ of possession until 31 days following the termination of the State of Emergency and the rescission of the public health emergency.

Except as otherwise provided above, nothing in the Order is intended to relieve any individual of the obligation to make mortgage payments or to comply with any other obligation that an individual may have under a residential mortgage.  Note that Delaware is a judicial foreclosure state requiring a notice of intent to foreclose be sent to the borrower 45 days prior to the commencing foreclosure.  One could read the Order as prohibiting a servicer from sending such notices during the State of Emergency.

Restrictions on Evictions

Similarly, with respect to evictions, the Order provides that, until the State of Emergency is terminated and the public health emergency is rescinded, the provisions of Chapter 57, Title 25 of the Delaware Code (governing summary possession of residential rental units) are modified in the following respects:

  • No action for summary possession may be brought with respect to any residential rental unit located within Delaware;
  • With respect to any past due balance for a residential rental unit, no late fee or interest may be charged or accrue on the account for the residential rental unit during the State of Emergency;
  • For any action for summary possession for a residential rental unit located within Delaware, commenced prior to the declaration of the State of Emergency, all deadlines in that action are extended until at least 31 days after the termination of the State of Emergency and the rescission of the public health emergency;
  • No late fee or interest may be charged or accrue on the balance due on the account for the residential rental unit that is the subject of the action for summary possession during this time period; and
  • For any residential rental unit that was the subject of an action for summary possession, for which a final judgment was issued prior to the declaration of the State of Emergency, no writ of possession may be executed until the seventh day following the termination of the State of Emergency and the rescission of the public health emergency.

The foregoing restrictions do not apply to actions for summary possession based upon a claim that continued tenancy will cause or is threatened to cause irreparable harm to person or property.  Moreover, except as modified above, all other provisions of the Landlord Tenant Code (Chapters 51-59 of Title 25 of the Delaware Code) remain in effect in accordance with their terms and nothing in the Order is to be construed as relieving any individual of the obligation to pay rent or to comply with any other obligation that an individual may have under their tenancy.

Takeaway

As discussed above, the Order imposes a number of restrictions that impact a residential mortgage loan servicer’s ability to initiate or complete foreclosure actions and eviction proceedings as well as limitation on certain fees and charges.  Accordingly, mortgage servicers should carefully review the Order to determine their obligations with respect to impacted borrowers.