Coming this summer – A new real estate settlement experience

real estateFor many, August 1st will be like any other summer day. However for those in the lending and real estate industries, August 1st is when the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new lending, closing disclosures and rules go into effect.

Know Before You Owe” is a project that began before the official opening of the CFPB (which officially opened July 21st 2011), and undertook the remaking of mortgage disclosures to make them more consumer friendly. You might say the project started with the passing of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which mandated the creation of the CFPB as well as amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA). Sec 1098 of Dodd-Frank states that the Bureau “shall publish a single, integrated disclosure for mortgage loan transactions” in a “readily understandable language” so as to help borrowers understand the financial aspects of their loan clearly and to be nontechnical.

A change in industry disclosure and compliance to enhance consumer protection is not new. RESPA and the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) were both devised as consumer protections, and amended over the years. RESPA was enacted in 1974 as a protection for consumers from abusive and predatory lending practices to help home buyers better shop for services related to the home buying process. Enacted in 1968, TILA provided guidelines for which lenders are required to inform consumers about the cost of their loan; which includes the disclosing the Annual Percentage Rate (APR), finance charges, amount financed, and the total amount paid as scheduled. The new integrated disclosure forms replace the Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and Settlement Statement (HUD1) required by RESPA and the Truth and Lending Disclosure Statement required by TILA with a Loan Estimate and a Closing Disclosure.

RESPA and TILA require disclosures to be provided to you within three days upon making your mortgage application, as well as not having changed prior to your closing of the transaction. Changes to these regulations and disclosures have often been made to keep up with the industry as well as to enhance consumer disclosure and education; the most recent revisions being made immediately after the financial crisis. Although redesigned to be more efficient and accurate, the most recent revision of the GFE and the Truth in Lending Disclosure Statement remained technical in nature. Many claimed the forms remained confusing making it difficult to compare mortgage costs between lenders; costs were not always labeled consistently and sometimes changed prior to closing.

By combining these disclosures into two forms in a clear and understandable language, the forms present important information conspicuously to help consumers decide if the mortgage is affordable and warn about loan features that they may want to avoid. The new forms seek to standardize fee and cost disclosures so as to make shopping easier; with standard cost and fee disclosures, comparisons will be more like comparing two apples rather than an apple to an orange.

One of the more important aspects of the new rules is that the new Closing Disclosure be given to the borrower three days prior to settlement. During the three days prior to closing, changes to the Closing Disclosure that increase charges are prohibited (unless allowed by exception). You can find more information about the CFPB and view the new disclosures at the CFPB website Know Before You Owe (consumerfinance.gov/knowbeforeyouowe).

© Dan Krell
Google+

Protected by Copyscape Web Plagiarism Detector
Disclaimer. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.