NAR opposes high down payment requirement
High down payment requirements being proposed by federal regulatory agencies as part of the upcoming rule-making under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act will unnecessarily burden home buyers and significantly impede the economic and housing recovery, according to the National Association of REALTORSÂ.
Six agencies (including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Federal Housing Finance Agency, Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission) are developing a proposed risk retention regulation under the Dodd-Frank Act that requires lenders that securitize mortgage loans to retain 5 percent of the credit risk unless the mortgage is a qualified residential mortgage (QRM); FHA and VA mortgages would also be exempted. The purpose is to create strong incentives for responsible lending and borrowing.
`As the leading advocate for home ownership, NAR supports a reasonable and affordable cash investment requirement coupled with quality credit standards, strong documentation and sound underwriting,` said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. `A narrow definition of QRM, with an unnecessarily high down payment requirement, will increase the cost and reduce the availability of mortgage credit, significantly delaying a housing recovery.`
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