House Panel Passes Regulatory Tweaks

American Banker
Thursday, March 26, 2015

The House Financial Services Committee approved 11 regulatory reform bills for community banks and credit unions last week with bipartisan support. The legislative package includes bills intended to streamline privacy notifications and check-clearing as well as a measure to keep privileged information shared between state and federal regulators confidential. The panel also passed bills that would refigure how the CFPB calculates certain points and fees under its "qualified mortgage" rule, require the CFPB to hold open meetings, create a small business advisory board at the agency and establish an appeals process for areas to be designated as "rural" under the QM rule. Additional legislation in the package is intended to streamline and expand mortgage lending.