DTI

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has rescinded a rule changing upfront fees based on borrowers’ debt-to-income ratios. If it had gone through, the policy would have created an adjustment for DTIs higher than 40% that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would acquire. Back in March, the agency delayed the implementation of these fees to talk it through with industry leaders, who largely opposed the move. One major concern was that small lenders would be hindered by compliance: disclosure laws require lenders to alert borrowers of pricing throughout the application process, but a borrower’s income and expenses can change dramatically throughout the loan procedure, requiring an unmanageable compliance burden. The Community Home Lenders Association argued against the adjustment at the time,…