the AffirmX blog

What Irritates Consumers Most About Their Accounts?

Ever wonder what consumers are saying about you behind your back? Thanks to the monthly CFPB Consumer Complaint Snapshot, there is no wondering required. It gives us a look into what consumers are grumbling about. And if you want to know what red flags are capturing the attention of regulators now, a good place to look [...]

By |2015-12-21T14:30:27-05:00December 21st, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on What Irritates Consumers Most About Their Accounts?

Handling "New" HMDA: All You Need to Know

"New" HMDA knock you off your feet? Go here to order a webinar recording breaking things down piece by piece. Still reeling from the new TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosures, mortgage lenders got about a five-minute breather before the next big bombshell hit: the CFPB's amendments to the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act. Through the Act, Congress has charged [...]

By |2015-12-15T06:00:19-05:00December 15th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on Handling "New" HMDA: All You Need to Know

How to Keep your Marketing Services Agreements Off the Naughty List

Earlier this year, the CFPB released a compliance bulletin warning mortgage lenders that marketing service agreements, or MSAs, present substantial risks involving illegal kickbacks and referral fees under RESPA, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. With these risks on the rise, here's what you need to know from the compliance bulletin. First of all, the [...]

By |2015-12-07T15:39:15-05:00December 7th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on How to Keep your Marketing Services Agreements Off the Naughty List

Compliance Culture Scoreboard: How Does Your Institution Rate?

When regulators discuss the root causes of the problems in a financial institution's Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering programs, invariably the cause that comes out at the top of their list is a weak culture of compliance. These points come from an advisory by FinCEN, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. The regulatory agencies have found [...]

By |2015-11-30T16:16:31-05:00November 30th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on Compliance Culture Scoreboard: How Does Your Institution Rate?

5 Steps to an Examination-Ready BSA Risk Assessment

A thorough BSA program is becoming more essential than ever. What five steps can you take to make sure your BSA Risk Assessment is ready for your next examination? Scrutiny of Bank Secrecy Act compliance at financial institutions everywhere is surging. Fines and enforcement orders are all over the headlines. Regulators, as well as board [...]

By |2015-11-16T12:38:04-05:00November 16th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on 5 Steps to an Examination-Ready BSA Risk Assessment

Requirements for Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs)

The appraisal management industry has been subject to hefty regulation in years past, and the 2015 requirements follow suit in implementing even tighter standards. With such strong regulatory pressures fundamentally impacting the way financial institutions manage the appraisal function, it’s important to have a strong grasp on what these new AMC requirements entail. The final [...]

By |2015-11-09T16:29:14-05:00November 9th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on Requirements for Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs)

What You Need to Know About Regions Bank’s $7.5 Million Overdraft Penalties

A version of this post was originally published on CU Insight. In case you missed it, the CFPB leveled a substantial fine—$7.5 million to be exact—upon Regions Bank earlier this year for flying way off course with its unlawful overdraft practices. The bank was required to refund at least $49 million in illegal overdraft fees to consumers [...]

By |2015-11-03T06:00:22-05:00November 3rd, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on What You Need to Know About Regions Bank’s $7.5 Million Overdraft Penalties

Floods of Rule Amendments: Final Flood Insurance Changes

With all the excitement surrounding the implementation of the TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure rule, some other significant compliance changes got pushed to the back seat. Among them are clarifications to the Final Flood Insurance Rule Amendments, which went into effect Oct. 1, 2015, the result of efforts from five federal regulatory agencies. Other amendments to the flood insurance rules [...]

By |2015-10-26T16:34:00-04:00October 26th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on Floods of Rule Amendments: Final Flood Insurance Changes

The One-Sheet on the New HMDA Rule You Should Take to Your Next Compliance Meeting

On Oct. 15, 2015, the CFPB released its final rule amending Reg. C, the Home Mortgage Disclosure Rule. The changes are significant. The final rule and its official interpretation clocks in at 797 pages. Digesting that will take some time. But in the meantime, here's the one-sheet you should take to your next compliance meeting. [...]

By |2015-10-19T16:57:12-04:00October 19th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on The One-Sheet on the New HMDA Rule You Should Take to Your Next Compliance Meeting

The Ins and Outs of PINs

As long as personal identification numbers (PINs) exist, they will continue to be a target for criminals. The Payment Card Industry (PCI) Security Standards Council continues to update the PIN Security Requirements to enhance usability and understanding by stating the requirements in a more granular manner. And though security has been enhanced with the recent [...]

By |2015-10-12T14:11:55-04:00October 12th, 2015|Blog, Compliance Tips|Comments Off on The Ins and Outs of PINs