government affairs blog

CFO Jeff Atwater's office asked that we remind our members that it is illegal to write title insurance policies on insurers who are not currently authorized in Florida; and that any agent or other person who, directly or indirectly, aids or represents an unauthorized insurer can lose their licenses or face other disciplinary sanctions.  A copy of his memorandum can be accessed here.  

Agencies writing policies in multiple states are at particular risk of inadvertent violations -- simply by grabbing the wrong policy jacket for a Florida transaction.   

FROM ALTA -- GRASSROOTS ACTION ALERT

Soon, liquidity in mortgage finance will be dictated by government regulations under the definition of a Qualified Residential Mortgage (QRM).

Dodd-Frank requires lenders to retain 5% of the risk of all mortgages that they sell to investors. The QRM is important because it exempts certain types of mortgages from Dodd-Frank's risk retention requirement. 

Regulators have gone too far and said that only mortgages with a 20% down payment will be considered a QRM. That means you can expect most lenders will be offering 80/20 LTV mortgages and few other options. 

Recently, over 200 members of Congress sent a letter to regulators asking them to reconsider QRM definition, including the negative impact a 20% down payment requirement would have on real estate markets. These lawmakers recognize that income verification, credit history and job security are more important to successful mortgage lending than a hefty down payment.

It is important that Members of Congress that have not signed the letter yet hear from you. Help stop real estate markets from getting worse! You can help by contacting your Member of Congress and asking them to sign onto this important letter to regulators 

CLICK HERE to Contact Your Member of Congress!