Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announces increase in Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Asset-Size Exemption Threshold

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today 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).

Based on the adjustments announced today, 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 December 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. 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. HMDA data are used to help determine whether financial institutions are serving the housing needs of their communities and to assist in identifying possible discriminatory lending patterns.

The rule will be effective immediately upon publication next week in the Federal Register and will apply to data collection in 2013. The final rule is available at: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/f/201212_CFPB_Home-Mortgage-Disclosure-Adjustment-Asset-Size-Exemption-Threshold.pdf