Letter: Comment to FHFA on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) on “Quality Control Standards for Automated Valuation Models (AVMs)”

USMI submitted a letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Sandra Thompson to provide feedback on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) on “Quality Control Standards for Automated Valuation Models (AVMs).” As sophisticated long-term managers of single family mortgage credit risk, private MIs support a workable regulatory framework for mortgage market participants’ use of AVMs and policies that appropriately balance improvements and efficiencies in the collateral valuation process with the accurate assessment and pricing of risk. In the letter, USMI highlights the following factors to be considered: (1) principles-based approach to quality control frameworks; (2) application to the GSEs; (3) transparency in AVM data; and (4) nondiscrimination and fair lending. Click here to read the letter.

Letter: Joint Trade Letter to FHFA on Proposed Enterprise Regulatory Capital Framework (ERCF)

USMI joined a coalition of housing finance organizations including the American Bankers Association (ABA), Housing Policy Council (HPC), and the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) in responding to one element of the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) on enhancements to the Enterprise Regulatory Capital Framework (ERCF). The organizations raised concerns regarding the method of calculating a borrower’s representative credit score once the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) migrate to the bi-merge credit report requirements. The coalition recommends that loan-level GSE data from 1999 forward should be published sooner than 4Q 2023 to allow for the necessary analysis and impact assessment ahead of the proposed implementation in 1Q 2024. In addition, the organizations call for FHFA to work more closely with the industry to fully assess operational and regulatory compliance considerations for mortgage market participants, including for the notices and disclosures required under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). Click here to read the letter.

Letter: Statement to Senate Finance Committee Hearing, “The Role of Tax Incentives in Affordable Housing”

USMI submitted a statement for the record to the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance for its July 20 hearing, “The Role of Tax Incentives in Affordable Housing.” USMI writes “that there are tax policies that can be improved in order to help American family achieve the American Dream of homeownership. More specifically, we strongly support S. 3590, the Middle Class Mortgage Insurance Premium Act of 2022, a bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Maggie Hassan and Roy Blunt.” See here for the full letter.

Letter: Joint Trades Letter on Enterprise Credit Score Model Framework

USMI submitted a comment letter to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in regards to the implementation of Section 310 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act of 2018 (“the Act”). As FHFA prepares to implement the Act, we write to request that it provide additional data, a detailed transition plan that is subject to stakeholder input, and ample time for any transition. This request need not delay FHFA’s decision regarding its review and approval of one or more credit score models, but instead would ensure that the transition to one or more new models is as smooth as possible. See here for the full letter.