[Editor’s Note: The following post is authored by Arnold & Porter LLP]
I. BACKGROUND
On January 20, 2013, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued its final rule (the Final Rule) regarding mortgage loan originator compensation and qualification requirements1 under the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), as amended by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act). The Final Rule modifies existing compensation and qualification requirements under Regulation Z. It prohibits a creditor from compensating a loan originator based on a term of a transaction or a “proxy” for a term of a transaction. It also codifies the existing ban on “dual compensation,” in which a loan originator receives compensation from the consumer and an additional party other than the originator’s organization, but creates an exception allowing a loan originator organization to pay its employees or contractors a commission provided that the commission is not based on a term of a loan. The Final Rule provides a complete exemption from the statutory ban on the consumer payment of upfront points and fees. The Final Rule also includes requirements regarding loan originator qualifications, licensing, and recordkeeping, and implements statutory provisions regarding mandatory dispute resolution and the financing of credit insurance in connection with a residential mortgage loan. (more…)