The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has issued a final rule adjusting the asset-size exemption threshold for banks, savings associations and credit unions under Regulation C, which implements the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA).
According to the CFPB, the asset-size exemption for banks, savings associations and credit unions will increase to $42 million. As a result, these institutions with assets of $42 million or less as of Dec. 31, 2012, are exempt from collecting HMDA data in 2013. An institution's exemption from collecting data in 2013 does not affect its responsibility to report the data it was required to collect in 2012.
HMDA requires that the CFPB adjust this threshold yearly by the annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers. HMDA and the CFPB's Regulation C require most mortgage lenders located in metropolitan areas to collect, report, and disclose data about applications for, and originations and purchases of, home purchase loans home improvement loans, and refinancings.
HMDA data reported include the type, purpose, and amount of the loan; the race, ethnicity, sex and income of the loan applicant; the location of the property; and loan pricing information for some loans; the data is used by the federal government to determine whether financial institutions are serving the housing needs of their communities and assists in identifying possible discriminatory lending patterns.
The final rule is available online.