HMDA

A Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposal would limit how much Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data is released to the public in an effort to protect consumer privacy.

The changes are aimed at aligning requirements with a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.

Lenders will not have to report data on open-ended home equity lines of credit in 2018 or 2019 if they originated fewer than 500 HELOCs the preceding year, the bureau said.

Amendments to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act regs include a number of new and modified data collection and reporting requirements that require attention now.

Efforts to repeal a Dodd-Frank mandate for lenders to report data on small-business applicants — including race and ethnicity — overlook the benefits of the provision to both communities of color and banks.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has added three categories to the list of protected classes under equal opportunity employment and inclusion rules for regulated entities.

Some credit union advocates are praising the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for a move that exempts select institutions from certain reporting requirements, but other say the bureau must still do more.

Affordable housing shortages and declining loan volumes are making it difficult for banks to originate enough mortgages to meet their Community Reinvestment Act obligations, which could make filling shortfalls with loans from nonbanks more expensive.

Lenders are feeling some relief on the regulatory front, but they still expect their compliance expenses to rise, according to a recent Lenders One survey.

In a rare move, the credit union regulator is asking the CFPB for exemptions for credit unions from expanded HMDA requirements and unfair and deceptive acts authority.