OCC Issues new Mortgage Banking Section of its Examination Handbook

by: Anna DeSimone

On February 7, 2014 the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued the “Mortgage Banking” booklet of the Comptroller’s Handbook. This updated booklet replaces a similarly titled booklet issued in March 1996 (and examination procedures issued in March 1998). The updated “Mortgage Banking” booklet also replaces Section 750, “Mortgage Banking,” issued in November 2008 as part of the former Office of Thrift Supervision’s (OTS) Examination Handbook for the examination of federal savings associations (FSA).

The OCC’s “Mortgage Banking” booklet applies to all banks engaged in mortgage banking activities, including community banks and covers the following:

  • Provides updated guidance to examiners and bankers on assessing the quantity of risk associated with mortgage banking and the quality of mortgage banking risk management.
  • Includes wholesale changes to the functional areas of production, secondary marketing, servicing, and mortgage servicing rights to incorporate recent lessons learned and regulatory changes.
  • Addresses recent amendments to Regulation X and Regulation Z issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), as well as other statutory and regulatory changes, including those directed by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 (Dodd-Frank).

The booklet is a comprehensive update that combines national bank and FSA guidance and examination procedures. The booklet provides an overview of Dodd-Frank’s mortgage-related provisions. Statutes and regulations governing FSAs also have been incorporated into the booklet.

Highlights of the OCC Mortgage Banking Booklet

Primary and secondary mortgage markets

Statutory and regulatory authority

Risk associated with mortgage banking, including

  • Credit risk
  • Interest rate risk
  • Liquidity risk
  • Price risk
  • Operational risk
  • Compliance risk
  • Strategic risk
  • Reputation risk

Risk Management

  • Management and Supervision
  • Internal and external audits
  • Information technology
  • Mortgage banking functional areas
  • Loan production
  • Secondary marketing
  • Servicing
  • Mortgage servicing assets

About the Author
Anna DeSimone is President and Founder of Bankers Advisory, Inc.   She can be reached at anna@bankersadvisory.com  

  • 781-402-6415

Anna DeSimone founded Bankers Advisory in 1986 and is a nationally recognized authority in residential mortgage lending. She has received numerous industry awards and has authored more than 40 best practices guides and hundreds of articles.

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