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CFPB Proposes a New Category of Qualified Mortgages – The Seasoned QM

michaelchristians • August 28, 2020

On August 18th, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a proposed rule to add an additional category of qualified mortgages (QM’s) to Regulation Z’s ability to repay requirements.

Under the proposed rule, a loan would be classified as a Seasoned QM if it meets certain product limitations, satisfies certain underwriting requirements and meets certain standards during a 36-month seasoning period.

Product Limitations

The following product restrictions would apply to a Seasoned QM:

  • The loan is secured by a first lien,
  • The loan has a fixed interest rate,
  • The loan has regular, periodic payments,
  • The loan term does not exceed 30 years, and
  • The total points and fees charged in connection with the transaction do not exceed the thresholds identified in Section 1026.43(e)(3) of Regulation Z.

Underwriting Requirements

Eligibility for Seasoned QM status would require the creditor to have considered the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio or residual income during the initial underwrite. In addition, the creditor must have considered the borrower’s debt obligations including his/her monthly payment for mortgage-related obligations.

Seasoning Period Standards

A Seasoned QM must be held in the creditor’s portfolio until the end of a 36-month seasoning period which begins on the date upon which the first periodic payment is due after consummation. During this seasoning period, the loan could have no more than two delinquencies of 30 days or more and no delinquencies of 60 days or more.

Any temporary payment accommodations extended as a result of a disaster or pandemic-related national emergency would not disqualify a loan from becoming a Seasoned QM; however, any time period spent in such an accommodation would not count toward the required 36-month seasoning period.

If finalized, the Seasoned QM proposed rule’s effective date would coincide with the effective date of the CFPB’s proposed rule amending the general definition of a qualified mortgage.

Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted for a period of 30 days following its publication in the Federal Register.

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