12 CFR Part 34 - REAL ESTATE LENDING AND APPRAISALS

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (collectively, the agencies) are inviting public comment on a joint proposal to address changes to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) described in Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13, Topic 326, Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (ASU 2016-13), including banking organizations' implementation of the current expected credit losses methodology. Specifically, the proposal would revise the agencies' regulatory capital rules to identify which credit loss allowances under the new accounting standard are eligible for inclusion in regulatory capital and to provide banking organizations the option to phase in the day-one adverse effects on regulatory capital that may result from the adoption of the new accounting standard. The proposal also would amend certain regulatory disclosure requirements to reflect applicable changes to U.S. GAAP covered under ASU 2016-13. In addition, the agencies are proposing to make amendments to their stress testing regulations so that covered banking organizations that have adopted ASU 2016-13 would not include the effect of ASU 2016-13 on their provisioning for purposes of stress testing until the 2020 stress test cycle. Finally, the agencies are proposing to make conforming amendments to their other regulations that reference credit loss allowances.

The OCC, Board, and FDIC (collectively, the agencies) are adopting a final rule to amend the agencies' regulations requiring appraisals of real estate for certain transactions. The final rule increases the threshold level at or below which appraisals are not required for commercial real estate transactions from $250,000 to $500,000. The final rule defines commercial real estate transaction as a real estate-related financial transaction that is not secured by a single 1-to-4 family residential property. It excludes all transactions secured by a single 1-to-4 family residential property, and thus construction loans secured by a single 1-to-4 family residential property are excluded. For commercial real estate transactions exempted from the appraisal requirement as a result of the revised threshold, regulated institutions must obtain an evaluation of the real property collateral that is consistent with safe and sound banking practices.

The OCC, the Board, and the Bureau are finalizing amendments to the official interpretations for their regulations that implement section 129H of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Section 129H of TILA establishes special appraisal requirements for “higher-risk mortgages,” termed “higher-priced mortgage loans” or “HPMLs” in the agencies' regulations. The OCC, the Board, the Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) (collectively, the Agencies) issued joint final rules implementing these requirements, effective January 18, 2014. The Agencies' rules exempted, among other loan types, transactions of $25,000 or less, and required that this loan amount be adjusted annually based on any annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, the OCC, the Board, and the Bureau will not adjust this exemption threshold from the prior year. However, in years following a year in which the exemption threshold was not adjusted, the threshold is calculated by applying the annual percentage increase in the CPI-W to the dollar amount that would have resulted, after rounding, if the decreases and any subsequent increases in the CPI-W had been taken into account. Based on the CPI-W in effect as of June 1, 2017, the exemption threshold will increase from $25,500 to $26,000 effective January 1, 2018.

Section 2 of the Depository Institutions Disaster Relief Act of 1992 (DIDRA) authorizes the agencies to make exceptions to statutory and regulatory appraisal requirements under Title XI of FIRREA. The exceptions are available for transactions involving real property located within an area in a state or territory declared to be a major disaster by the President if the agencies determine, and describe by publication of a regulation or order, that the exceptions would facilitate recovery from the disaster and would be consistent with safety and soundness. In this statement and order, the agencies exercise their authority to grant temporary exceptions to the FIRREA appraisal requirements for real estate-related financial transactions, provided certain criteria are met, in areas of Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands that have been declared major disasters by President Trump as a result of the severe storms and flooding caused by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. The expiration date for the exceptions in each area is three years after the date the President declared the state or territory a major disaster.

The OCC, Board, and FDIC (collectively, the agencies) are inviting comment on a proposed rule to amend the agencies' regulations requiring appraisals of real estate for certain transactions. The proposal would increase the threshold level at or below which appraisals would not be required for commercial real estate transactions from $250,000 to $400,000. This proposed change to the appraisal threshold reflects comments the agencies received through the regulatory review process required by the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act (EGRPRA) and completed in early 2017. For commercial real estate transactions with a value at or below the proposed threshold, the amended rule would require institutions to obtain an evaluation of the real property collateral that is consistent with safe and sound banking practices if the institution does not obtain an appraisal by a state certified or licensed appraiser.

The OCC, the Board, and the Bureau are finalizing amendments to the official interpretations for their regulations that implement section 129H of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Section 129H of TILA establishes special appraisal requirements for “higher-risk mortgages,” termed “higher-priced mortgage loans” or “HPMLs” in the agencies' regulations. The OCC, the Board, the Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) (collectively, the Agencies) issued joint final rules implementing these requirements, effective January 18, 2014. The Agencies' rules exempted, among other loan types, transactions of $25,000 or less, and required that this loan amount be adjusted annually based on any annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, the OCC, the Board and the Bureau will not adjust this exemption threshold from the prior year. The final rule will memorialize this as well as the agencies' calculation method for determining the adjustment in years following a year in which there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W. Based on the CPI-W in effect as of June 1, 2016, the exemption threshold will remain at $25,500 through 2017.

Section 2 of the Depository Institutions Disaster Relief Act of 1992 (DIDRA) authorizes the Agencies to make exceptions to statutory and regulatory appraisal requirements under Title XI of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (FIRREA). The exceptions are available for transactions involving real property located within an area declared to be a major disaster area by the President if the Agencies determine, and describe by publication of a regulation or order, that the exceptions would facilitate recovery from the disaster and would be consistent with safety and soundness. In this statement and order, the Agencies exercise their authority to grant temporary exceptions to the FIRREA appraisal requirements for real estate related transactions, provided certain criteria are met, in the Louisiana parishes declared a major disaster area by President Obama on August 14, 2016, as a result of the severe storms and flooding in Louisiana. The expiration date for the exceptions is December 31, 2017.

The OCC, the Board and the Bureau are publishing proposed rules amending the official interpretations for their regulations that implement section 129H of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Section 129H of TILA establishes special appraisal requirements for “higher-risk mortgages,” termed “higher-priced mortgage loans” or “HPMLs” in the agencies' regulations. The OCC, the Board, the Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) (collectively, the Agencies) issued joint final rules implementing these requirements, effective January 18, 2014. The Agencies' rules exempted, among other loan types, transactions of $25,000 or less, and required that this loan amount be adjusted annually based on any annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, the OCC, the Board and the Bureau will not adjust this exemption threshold from the prior year. The proposal would memorialize this as well as the agencies' calculation method for determining the adjustment in years following a year in which there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W.

The OCC, the Board and the Bureau are publishing final rules amending the official interpretations for their regulations that implement section 129H of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Section 129H of TILA establishes special appraisal requirements for “higher-risk mortgages,” termed “higher-priced mortgage loans” or “HPMLs” in the agencies' regulations. The OCC, the Board, the Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) (collectively, the Agencies) issued joint final rules implementing these requirements, effective January 18, 2014. The Agencies' rules exempted, among other loan types, transactions of $25,000 or less, and required that this loan amount be adjusted annually based on any annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If there is no annual percentage increase in the CPI-W, the OCC, the Board and the Bureau will not adjust this exemption threshold from the prior year. Based on the annual percentage decrease in the CPI-W as of June 1, 2015, the exemption threshold will remain at $25,500 through December 31, 2016.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, NCUA, Bureau, and FHFA (collectively, the Agencies) are adopting a final rule to implement the minimum requirements in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) to be applied by participating States in the registration and supervision of appraisal management companies (AMCs). The final rule also implements the minimum requirements in the Dodd-Frank Act for AMCs that are subsidiaries owned and controlled by an insured depository institution and regulated by a Federal financial institutions regulatory agency (Federally regulated AMCs). Under the final rule, these Federally regulated AMCs do not need to register with a State, but are subject to the same minimum requirements as State-regulated AMCs. The final rule also implements the requirement for States to report to the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) the information required by the ASC to administer the new national registry of AMCs (AMC National Registry). In conjunction with this implementation, the FDIC is integrating its appraisal regulations for State nonmember banks and State savings associations.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is adopting a final rule to integrate its rules relating to policies and procedures for corporate activities and transactions involving national banks and Federal savings associations, to revise some of these rules in order to eliminate unnecessary requirements consistent with safety and soundness and to promote fairness in supervision, and to make other technical and conforming changes. The OCC also is adopting amendments to update its rules for agency organization and function.

The OCC, the Board and the Bureau are publishing final rules amending the official staff interpretations for their regulations that implement section 129H of the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). Section 129H of TILA establishes special appraisal requirements for “higher-risk mortgages,” termed “higher-priced mortgages” or “HPMLs” in the agencies' regulations. The OCC, the Board, the Bureau, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) (collectively, the Agencies) issued joint final rules implementing these requirements, effective January 18, 2014. The Agencies' rules exempted, among other loan types, transactions of $25,000 or less, and required that this loan amount be adjusted annually based on any annual percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Based on the annual percentage increase in the CPI-W as of June 1, 2014, the OCC, the Board and the Bureau are adjusting the exemption threshold to $25,500, effective January 1, 2015.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is proposing to integrate its rules relating to policies and procedures for corporate activities and transactions involving national banks and Federal savings associations, to revise some of these rules in order to eliminate unnecessary requirements consistent with safety and soundness, and to make other technical and conforming changes. The OCC also is proposing amendments to update its rules for agency organization and function.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is combining certain rules originally issued jointly with the other Federal banking agencies by the OCC with respect to national banks and by the former Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS) with respect to savings associations. Specifically, the OCC is combining rules relating to consumer protection in insurance sales, Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) compliance, management interlocks, appraisals, disclosure and reporting of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)-related agreements, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). This rulemaking also makes technical amendments to the OCC's FCRA rule to conform to provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act or Act). This rulemaking will not result in any substantive changes in the combined rules. It will, however, streamline OCC rules, reduce duplication, and create efficiencies by establishing a single set of these rules for all entities supervised by the OCC.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, NCUA, Bureau, and FHFA (collectively, the Agencies) are jointly proposing a rule to implement the minimum requirements in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act or Act) to be applied by States in the registration and supervision of appraisal management companies (AMCs). The proposed rule also implements the requirement in the Dodd-Frank Act for States to report to the Appraisal Subcommittee of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) the information required by the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) to administer the new national registry of appraisal management companies (AMC National Registry or Registry). In conjunction with this implementation, the FDIC is proposing to integrate its appraisal regulations for State nonmember banks and State savings associations.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is removing regulations concerning registration of mortgage loan originators, and regulations relating to privacy of consumer financial information. Rulemaking authority for these rules transferred to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on July 21, 2011 pursuant to Title X of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, and these OCC rules are therefore no longer operative. The OCC also is amending its regulations to update its address to reflect its move to a new headquarters building, to update the address of its Freedom of Information Act web portal, and to update its Web site address.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is making technical and conforming amendments to its regulations governing national banks and Federal savings associations to make those regulations consistent with the recently adopted Basel III Capital Framework. As part of these technical amendments, the OCC is revising and clarifying its regulations governing subordinated debt applicable to national banks and Federal savings associations.

The Board, Bureau, FDIC, FHFA, NCUA, and OCC (collectively, the Agencies) are amending Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and the official interpretation to the regulation. This final rule supplements a final rule issued by the Agencies on January 18, 2013, which goes into effect on January 18, 2014. The January 2013 Final Rule implements a provision added to TILA by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act or Act) requiring appraisals for “higher-risk mortgages.” For certain mortgages with an annual percentage rate that exceeds the average prime offer rate by a specified percentage, the January 2013 Final Rule requires creditors to obtain an appraisal or appraisals meeting certain specified standards, provide applicants with a notification regarding the use of the appraisals, and give applicants a copy of the written appraisals used. On July 10, 2013, the Agencies proposed amendments to the January 2013 Final Rule implementing these requirements. Specifically, the Agencies proposed exemptions from the rules for transactions secured by existing manufactured homes and not land; certain streamlined refinancings; and transactions of $25,000 or less.

The Board, Bureau, FDIC, FHFA, NCUA, and OCC (collectively, the Agencies) are proposing to amend Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and the official interpretation to the regulation. This proposal relates to a final rule issued by the Agencies on January 18, 2013 (2013 Interagency Appraisals Final Rule or Final Rule), which goes into effect on January 18, 2014. The Final Rule implements a provision added to TILA by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act or Act) requiring appraisals for “higher-risk mortgages.” For certain mortgages with an annual percentage rate that exceeds the average prime offer rate by a specified percentage, the Final Rule requires creditors to obtain an appraisal or appraisals meeting certain specified standards, provide applicants with a notification regarding the use of the appraisals, and give applicants a copy of the written appraisals used. The Agencies are proposing amendments to the Final Rule implementing these requirements; specifically, the Agencies are proposing exemptions from the rules for: transactions secured by existing manufactured homes and not land; certain “streamlined” refinancings; and transactions of $25,000 or less.

The Board, Bureau, FDIC, FHFA, NCUA, and OCC (collectively, the Agencies) are issuing a final rule to amend Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA), and the official interpretation to the regulation. The revisions to Regulation Z implement a new provision requiring appraisals for “higher-risk mortgages” that was added to TILA by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act or Act). For mortgages with an annual percentage rate that exceeds the average prime offer rate by a specified percentage, the final rule requires creditors to obtain an appraisal or appraisals meeting certain specified standards, provide applicants with a notification regarding the use of the appraisals, and give applicants a copy of the written appraisals used.