Articles about Legislation

Residential | August 2019 
Scrutiny is Overdue on Mortgage Licensing
Eleven years ago, Congress passed the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act, popularly known as the SAFE Act. Adopted in the wake of concerns about some mortgage loan originators stee...
By David A. Wind, board member, Community Home Lenders Association (CHLA)

Residential | April 2019 
Why Your Job Is Paying Attention to Their Jobs
Loan originators and real estate salespeople often work in a limited geographic area. This necessitates being deeply familiar with that place, especially with regard to the jobs and income of the folk...
By Dick Lepre, senior loan adviser, RPM Mortgage

Residential | March 2019 
A New HMDA Show Is Debuting at a Lender Near You
Nearly four years ago, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a rule requiring lenders to gather a greatly expanded range of data under the decades-old ...
By Jim Lochbihler, senior consultant, Wolters Kluwer

Residential | November 2018 
A Privacy Law Heard Around the World
In the mortgage industry, compliance issues usually involve protections for borrowers in terms of equal housing opportunities, as well as loan quality or profitability. Typically, the industry focuses...
By Kathryne (Kate) M. Morris, privacy and technology lawyer, Clark Hill Strasburger; and Stacey Geringer, president, Collabrian Design & Technology and Mortgage Bank Solutions

Residential | June 2018 
Viewpoint: Borrowers Need Straight Talk About Green Financing
Consumers are regularly hit with product marketing pitches touting environmentally friendly improvements for their homes, such as solar panels, drought-tolerant landscaping, double-pane windows and ot...
By Lacy Robertson, mortgage originator and Realtor, Equity Smart Home Loans

Residential | June 2018 
Online Lending Comes of Age
  Key Points The alternative-lending landscape ...
By Robert Greenberg, chief marketing officer, Patch of Land

Residential | February 2018 
The Compliance Balancing Act
Lewis Carroll famously said, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.” This maxim certainly pertains to mortgage compliance professionals, who play a key role in helping le...
By Britt Faircloth, senior regulatory consultant, Wolters Kluwer

Residential | December 2017 
Ease the Pain of Money Laundering
  Key Points Red flags for lenders and loan servicers to watch for Very early loan payoff, especially with cash or from suspicious or unknown sourcesFirst payment defaultCash paymentsSudden payoff ...
By Jeff Kelly, vice president of governance, risk, and compliance, OnCourse Learning

Commercial | November 2017 
Brokers Can Provide Value by Understanding Regulations
Congress passed the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) in 1977 to encourage banks to meet the needs of the communities in which they operate. Specifically, the CRA targets low- and moderate-income neigh...
By Joseph Silvia, attorney

Commercial | November 2017 
CRE’s Future is Uncertain From a Legislative Standpoint
This year seemed to hold potential to be a fruitful one on the legislative front for the U.S. commercial real estate (CRE) industry, with proposals on big issues like infrastructure and tax reform loo...
By Robert M. Brierley, chair and chief electer officer, Buildding Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)

Residential | November 2017 
The Elixir for TRID Imperfections
Nothing in life is perfect, and no amount of magic potions or diet pills can change that. Mortgage professionals understand this all too well. Despite all the regulations and requirements that dictate...
By Josh Friend, founder and CEO, InSellerate

Commercial | September 2017 
Capitalize on Opportunity With C-PACE Loans
At a Glance Things to consider with C-PACE financing As a mortgage broker accustomed to dealing with commercial mortga...
By Brian McCarter, CEO, Sustainable Real Estate Solutions

Residential | September 2017 
Digital Danger Zone
The introduction of the printing press in the 15th century made it possible to distribute ideas on a scale never before imagined. Several hundred years later, radio and television allowed messages to ...
By Whitney Blessington, vice president of marketing, Churchill Mortgage

Residential | July 2017 
Overcoming Bifurcated-Disclosure Confusion
 At a Glance ...
By Paul Clifford, president, Simplifile

Commercial | July 2017 
Accelerate Your Energy-Investment Game
Overhauling the United States’ aging commercial-building stock is an ever-present challenge for property owners and managers. Nearly half of all commercial buildings in the U.S. were built before 1980...
By Genevieve Sherman, Head of New Markets and Partnerships, Greenworks Lending