HMDA – Action Taken
We are now almost two months into the new HMDA regulation and there have been several questions as to reporting the action taken. Specifically, when to report an application as being withdrawn or file being closed for incompleteness. While this data point existed under the old HMDA regulation, it can still be confusing.
First there are applications that must be reported as being withdrawn. Under the new HMDA regulation, withdrawn is reported when the application is expressly withdrawn by the applicant before a credit decision was made. An application is also reported as withdrawn if the financial institution provides conditional approval that specifies underwriting conditions which must be met and the applicant withdraws the application before satisfying all of the specified underwriting and credit worthiness conditions. An application would still be considered as being “withdrawn” if the financial institution made a counteroffer which the borrower agreed to and the loan was subsequently conditionally approved with underwriting conditions but the borrower later withdraws before satisfying those conditions.
When do you report an application as being closed for incompleteness? This part of the HMDA regulation coincides with ECOA. While the HMDA regulation itself does not necessarily require a notice to be sent regarding missing information, for an application to be considered as “file closed for incompleteness”, however a written notice of incompleteness as described under Regulation B 12 CFR 1002.9 (c)(2) must be sent to the applicant. If the applicant fails to respond to the written notice, there is no further action needed on the part of the financial institution and the action taken would be “file closed for incompleteness”. If an oral request for additional information is made by the financial institution and, if the application remains incomplete after the oral request is made, then a written notice denying the application based on the application being incomplete must be sent. In this instance, the file is denied for incompleteness instead of being closed for incompleteness. There are some financial institutions that provide both the notice of incompleteness under Regulation B, and then send an notice of denial for incompleteness. In this circumstance, reporting the application as closed for incompleteness or denied is left entirely up to the financial institution. As always, remember to document your file accordingly.
For more information on our HMDA services please contact Regulatory Solutions at contact@regulatorysol.com or Toll Free 855.734.7655.
Reverse Mortgage, Open-End Line of Credit, or Business or Commercial Purpose
There are certain transaction indicators that will have to be reported as part of your HMDA data now that it is 2018. The new HMDA regulation added three new data points that will provide more information as to the terms of the loan application. These are if the application is for a reverse mortgage, an open-end line of credit, and if it is for a commercial or business purpose. These new data points are fairly straightforward and it is important to note that they do not have the option of being reported as “not applicable”.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Manufactured Home Secured Property Type & Manufactured Home Land Property Interest
Beginning in 2018, a financial institution will report manufactured home information as part of their HMDA data. Specifically, the secured property type and the land property interest information should be reported in regards to the manufactured home that is securing the loan.
For the secured property type, a financial institution will have to report whether the loan is secured by a manufactured home and land or if the land is not securing the loan. A financial institution will report that the Manufactured Home is not secured by land even if the Manufactured Home is considered real property under state law.
For the land property interest, the financial institution should report the information about the applicant’s ownership interest in the land where the manufactured home is located. The first option that can be reported is direct ownership. This is used when the applicant has direct ownership in the land and the ownership is more than a possessory real property ownership interest. Another option is indirect ownership. This is reported when the applicant is a member of a resident-owned community that is structured as a housing cooperative which owns the underlying land. If the applicant lives in a resident-owned community but is not a member, the land property interest would be reported as a paid leasehold. A paid leasehold can occur when the applicant does not have an ownership interest in the land but they have a written lease for the lot that specifies rent payments. This data point can also be reported as an unpaid leasehold. This occurs when there is no written lease and therefore no agreement for rent payments.
There is an additional circumstance for the land property interest data point. This will be reported as “not applicable” if the location for the manufactured home has not yet been identified at the time action was taken. When it comes to reporting these data points as “not applicable” on your HMDA LAR, there is some overlap. Both of these data points will be reported as “not applicable” when the dwelling that is securing the loan is not a manufactured home or if it is a manufactured home community that is a multifamily dwelling.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Debt-to-Income Ratio New HMDA Reporting Requirement
Another addition to what must be collected as part of your HMDA data in 2018 is the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio. This must be reported if the DTI ratio was relied upon when the financial institution made their credit decision. This does not mean that in order for this data point to be reportable it had to be a deciding factor when the financial institution made their credit decision. The DTI ratio merely had to have been considered during the credit decision process.
On your HMDA LAR, this data point can be reported as being “not applicable” in a number of circumstances. One instance is if the DTI ratio was not relied upon when the credit decision was made. “Not applicable” can also occur when you are reporting on a purchased loan and for applications that were closed for incompleteness or withdrawn before a credit decision could be made. Another occasion where “not applicable” is reported on your HMDA LAR is when the applicant and the co-applicant are not natural persons. It is important to note that when reporting the DTI ratio, what is securing the loan will also affect what you report on your HMDA LAR. When the loan is secured by a multifamily dwelling, this data point should be reported as “not applicable”.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Discount Points, Lender Credits, and Interest Rate New HMDA Regs
For the new HMDA regulation, a financial institution will now have to report more information in regards to the terms of the loan. This includes such information as the total discount points, lender credits and the interest rate.
The total discount points that are paid to the creditor to reduce the interest rate can be found on page 2 of the Closing Disclosure on Line A.01. If there were no discount points paid, then this data point should be left blank. The other data point that can be found on the Closing Disclosure is the total of lender credits which is on page 2 Line J. Like with the discount points, if there were no lender credits, this data point should be left blank. If a revised Closing Disclosure was issued, then the revised amounts should be reported on the HMDA LAR.
Both of these data points are to be reported as “not applicable” in the same circumstances. The first is if the application did not end in origination. The second circumstance is if the loan or application is not subject to Regulation Z. The last instance is if it is a purchased loan with an application that was received prior to the effective date of Regulation Z.
Another item that must be reported as part of your HMDA data is the interest rate. This data point must be reported for loans that originated and for those that are approved but not accepted. For applications that were denied, withdrawn or closed for incompleteness, this data point should be reported as being “not applicable”.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Origination Charges Just One New HMDA Reporting Requirement.
The new HMDA regulation that will take effect in 2018 will require a financial institution to report a myriad of new information. One of these new data points is the total origination charges that are considered borrower paid either at or before closing. This information can be found on page 2 of the Closing Disclosure in Line A. In the case where a corrected Closing Disclosure was delivered and the total charges that are borrower paid have changed, then the corrected amount should be reported on the HMDA LAR.
This is a relatively straight forward addition to the HMDA LAR and there are a few circumstances where this data point will be reported as being “not applicable”. This will occur if the application did not result in origination or if the transaction itself is not subject to Regulation Z. Another reason that this would be “not applicable” is if it is a purchased loan with an application that was received prior to the effective date of Regulation Z.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Mortgage Loan Originator NMLS Identifier
Starting in 2018, an institution will report the NMLS ID for the mortgage loan originator. This is a unique number that is assigned to a loan originator through the National Mortgage Licensing System & Registry. The loan officer does not necessarily have to have one in order to provide loan originating services. If they are not required to have a NMLS ID number and they have not obtained one, then this data point should be reported as being “not applicable”.
There are some instances where the loan officer has obtained a NMLS ID but can originate a loan without one as it is not required by the state. The NMLS ID number should be reported on the HMDA LAR regardless of this, unless the transaction falls into one of two categories. First, if it is a purchased loan that is subject to 12 CFR 1026.36(g) (consumer credit transaction secured by a dwelling) and was originated prior to January 10, 2014. The other is if it is a purchased loan not subject to 12 CFR 1026.36(g) and it was originated prior to January 1, 2018. In these instances, this data point should be reported as being “not applicable”.
There are times when there is more than one loan officer associated with that particular transaction. If this occurs, the financial institution should report the NMLS ID of the loan officer who had the primary responsibility for the transaction as of the date of action taken.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Application Channel and New HMDA Data
There are two questions for this data point that must be reported as part of the new HMDA data. First, you must report whether the applicant submitted the application directly to your financial institution. For HMDA purposes, an application is treated as being submitted directly to your financial institution if the applicant was directed to a third-party agent who performed origination activities on behalf of the financial institution. However, this would not be the case if the third-party agent assisted the applicant with their application for a loan with another institution. If the applicant completed an application with a broker or correspondent who then sent the application to your financial institution for approval, then this would not be reported as being submitted directly to your financial institution.
The other data point that must be reported is whether the obligation that arises from the application is or would have been initially payable to your financial institution. For applications that are withdrawn, denied, or closed for incompleteness, this particular data point should be reported as “not applicable” if at the time action was taken, the financial institution had not determined whether the loan would be initially payable to this institution.
The one major exception is when you are reporting on a purchased loan. In this instance, both of these data points should be reported as being “not applicable”.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Institutions Will Report Prepayment Penalty Term In 2018
Come 2018, an institution will have to report the term of the prepayment penalty on their HMDA LAR. There are several instances where this data point should be reported as “not applicable”. This is when the application is not subject to Regulation Z, it is for a reverse mortgage, when it is a purchased loan, and if the transaction does not involve a prepayment penalty. If there is a prepayment penalty, then the term must be reported in months.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.
Property Value Must Be Reported Under 2018 HMDA Regulation
Under the 2018 HMDA regulation, the value of the property that is (or will be used) to secure the loan must be reported. This data point depends upon which value the institution uses to determine the loan-to-value ratio. If the institution relies on the appraisal for this determination, then the appraised value is reported. The other option that an institution can rely on is the purchase price of the property. When entering the property value, the institution should enter the full amount with rounded to the nearest dollar. It is important to note that the method that is chosen should remain consistent throughout the HMDA LAR.
If the file was closed for incompleteness or withdrawn before a credit decision was made, then this data point should be reported as “not applicable”. This remains true even if the institution determined a value for the property before final action was taken. When an institution makes a credit decision without relying on the property value, then “not applicable” should also be entered on the HMDA LAR.
For more information on HMDA regulations, 2018 data point changes or our HMDA compliance services, please call Rhonda Wannemuehler or Betsy Reynolds at 855-734-7655.