A national mortgage lender sought to acquire several mortgage companies. Our client asked us to review samples of loans from each prospective acquiree to evaluate loan quality, for both underwriting and compliance, prior to moving forward on the acquisition.
Securitization Due Diligence
In anticipation of securitization, multiple clients have engaged CrossCheck to perform due diligence on non-QM portfolios. The reviews are designed to meet rating agency requirements and included analyses of credit, compliance, collateral, and data accuracy.
Due Diligence Review of Residential Mortgage Loans
We were engaged by a regional bank to review a sample of loans from three proposed separate bulk whole loan purchases. The bank requested we determine whether the portfolios which were predominately conventional and jumbo loans, were originated in compliance with regulatory requirements. All disclosures required by Regulation Z- Truth-in-Lending and Regulation X – Real… Read more »
Compliance Management System(CMS) Audit
A money services business (MSB) and small dollar lender requested an audit of their compliance management system (CMS) and consumer lending practices including loan origination, payment processing & servicing, returned item processing, and credit bureau reporting. The objective was to assess the effectiveness, accuracy, and timeliness of the client’s compliance controls and processes and to… Read more »
Anti-Money Laundering (AML) Audit
A money services business (MSB) and small dollar lender requested an independent audit of its anti-money laundering (AML) compliance program. The engagement was based on regulatory guidance and the relevant requirements of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) Examination Procedures. We assessed the AML Program commensurate with the company’s risk profile and focused the… Read more »
Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS®) System to System Reconciliation
Mortgage servicers are required to reconcile its System of Record to the MERS® System data monthly or quarterly if servicing fewer than 1,000 mortgage identification number (“MIN”) records. CrossCheck completes this reconciliation quickly and seamlessly ensuring all the required data elements including “required and conditionally required fields” are reconciled to the MERS® system. Once the… Read more »
Review of New Products and Services
A fintech company sought consulting services to assist them with a review of its home equity line of credit (“HELOC”) program documents by counsel licensed in 48 states. CrossCheck Compliance utilized its relationships with financial services law firms to source local counsel in each of the states with the expertise to perform the state specific… Read more »
Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA)
Due to the growth of class action TCPA litigation and settlements, the client engaged CrossCheck to perform a targeted review of its debt collection practices with a focus on compliance with TCPA requirements. Our engagement covered the client’s practices as well as the client’s third-party loan servicer and collection agents and included a review of… Read more »
Website Compliance Review
Continued growth and the ensuing regulatory scrutiny led a large credit union to request a compliance review of its extensive website. CrossCheck focused the review on the advertising provisions of all applicable regulations, including those specific to credit unions, as well as potential UDAAP pitfalls. The review encompassed all pages and all links on the… Read more »
Compliance Management System (CMS)
The unique relationships between an industrial bank and its strategic partners require the bank to maintain its own effective compliance management system (CMS), including a robust vendor management program comprising strong oversight of the operations and the CMS of its strategic partners. CrossCheck has completed reviews of the CMS of both sides of such relationships,… Read more »
Auto Finance Review
Review of the auto finance program covering the various elements of the auto loan life cycle, including origination and servicing processes. Such reviews include assessment of the quality of the credit union’s CMS for detecting and preventing violations of Federal regulations applicable to auto loan origination or servicing and identification of credit union practices that… Read more »
California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI, formerly DBO) Per Diem Interest Audit
Assisted a large mortgage lender defend allegations by the Department of Business Oversight that it had not properly computed per diem interest on California loan closings. The lender engaged CrossCheck to perform an audit of a sample of loans selected by the DBO and recompute the per diem interest. Our findings and insights helped the lender favorably… Read more »
Fair Lending Program Review
We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the bank’s fair lending compliance management system (FL CMS). The review included an assessment of board management and oversight, preventive and detective controls, complaint management, and third party risks. We provided recommendations to enhance the bank’s fair lending program and assisted in the revision of policies and procedures.
Unfair, Deceptive, or Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP) and Debt Protection Products
Due to regulatory concerns related to UDAAP compliance, the bank requested CrossCheck assist with a multi-phased review of its administration of debt protection products including a look-back of thousands of customer loans with debt protection originated over several years. We provided a project manager and a team of a dozen consultants.The project manager assisted in… Read more »
Truth in Lending and RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID) Compliance Monitoring
With all the challenges and nuances of the new Know Before You Owe (TRID) rules, management requested CrossCheck perform quarterly monitoring of its compliance with the TRID requirements. We established a quarterly process to select and review a sample of the bank’s new loan production, stratifying the sample for higher risk issues and out of… Read more »
Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. (MERS®) Independent Audit
Institutions with more than 1,000 mortgage loans registered with MERS® are required to have an independent third party monitor their process for obtaining, retaining, reconciling, and submitting mortgage registration data against their MERS® quality assurance plans. We have performed this role for a number of servicers, providing both the servicer and MERS® with an unbiased evaluation of… Read more »
Audit Co-Source
Continued growth and increased regulatory scrutiny prompted a client to have CrossCheck assist them with the implementation of an internal audit function. After developing an audit charter, performing an audit risk assessment, and providing a multi-year internal audit plan, we assigned experienced internal audit consultants to complete the audit plan. The goal of an internal… Read more »
Fair Lending Advisory
We provided fair lending advisory services to a national lender on development of statistical models designed to assess fair lending risk associated with marketing, underwriting, pricing, and loss mitigation. Assistance included the review of analytical results to assess and identify potential risk of disparate treatment, disparate impact and redlining. One of our fair lending practice… Read more »
Post Closing Quality Control/Denied Applications
Wishing to assure the quality and integrity of its consolidated student loan originations, a bank has engaged CrossCheck to perform quality control reviews on a sample of its monthly originations and denials. CrossCheck reviews the underwriting and compliance of the loans, and provides a monthly report on its findings, which includes trending analysis. As a… Read more »
Loan and Credit Risk Process Review
A credit union experiencing rapid growth of its member business loan portfolio requested an independent review of its business loan portfolio and related loan policies and procedures to ensure adherence to safety and soundness expectations. While overall policies and procedures were satisfactory, recommendations were made to enhance loan review procedures and compliance with the Flood… Read more »
Loan Exception Policy and Procedure Review
CrossCheck conducted an independent review of the bank’s updated policy and procedure for the tracking and reporting of loan exceptions pursuant to criticism from its prudential regulator. Applicable regulatory requirements, prudent business practices, and CrossCheck’s years of experience were the basis for recommendations to further enhance controls and processes and meet regulatory and business requirements.
Post-Purchase Portfolio Review
Upon a client’s acquisition of the assets of a failed bank, CrossCheck performed a credit and documentation review of the acquired loans and interviewed loan department personnel at the failed bank. The review uncovered issues and loan documentation errors that posed credit and financial risk to our client. Our review provided the information needed to… Read more »
Due Diligence Review
CrossCheck was engaged to perform an assessment of an acquisition target’s commercial loan portfolio and other real estate owned to identify concerns regarding the quality and collectability of the portfolio prior to purchase. CrossCheck’s review uncovered the lack of both adequate loan monitoring and basic loan administration procedures. This independent assessment allowed our client, the… Read more »
Commercial Loan Portfolio Annual Review
CrossCheck performs reviews of an institution’s commercial loan portfolio that includes assessment of underwriting and credit administrations standards and practices; effectiveness of risk identification activities, including the ratings attributed to individual loan relationships and the overall portfolio; and risk management protocols to identify, measure, monitor, and manage portfolio risk. The review provides the institution with… Read more »
Foreclosure Management Look-Backs
CrossCheck has executed numerous default management and foreclosure reviews. The objectives for these reviews aligned with the lookback requirements outlined in the Consent Orders issued to the 14 largest loan servicers in 2011. Each review included the requirements set forth by the CFPB related to early Intervention with delinquent borrowers, continuity of contact, loss mitigation… Read more »
Compliance Policy and Procedures Development
As the regulatory environment and the requirements imposed on financial institutions continue to evolve, CrossCheck has been engaged by a variety of mortgage entities and community banks to review and enhance compliance related policies and procedures. This has also included the development of required policies that previously did not exist, enabling the client to strengthen… Read more »
Compliance Management Systems (CMS)
As non-depository mortgage entities and fintechs align their internal control structures with the expectations of the CFPB, numerous clients have engaged CrossCheck to perform compliance management system (CMS) assessments of the two interdependent control components of an effective CMS which include: Board and Management Oversight; and Compliance Program, which includes: Policies and procedures; Training; Monitoring… Read more »
Training
Clients taking a proactive approach or responding to regulatory finding have engaged CrossCheck to prepare and conduct a variety of training sessions for business lines, senior management, and board committees. Training topics included Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; Community Reinvestment Act requirements; Bank Secrecy/Anti-Money Laundering, and loan servicing rules. As a result of the training, clients… Read more »
CFPB MOU Remediation
After receiving a memorandum of understanding (MOU) from the CFPB, one of the largest independent mortgage originator/servicers engaged CrossCheck – upon CFPB non-objection – to conduct a look-back of several thousand loan modifications made over a two-year period. We reviewed each modification to determine if fees assessed and cash contributions granted as part of the… Read more »
False Claims Act Lawsuit
Realtors, on behalf of the federal government, brought a False Claims Act lawsuit against one of the largest mortgage servicers, alleging they had not properly performed HAMP modifications. CrossCheck reviewed and responded to the realtors’ allegations, providing expert testimony that helped the client achieve a favorable settlement.
Predatory Lending Litigation
A borrower sued the client, a national mortgage lender, alleging that the lender engaged in predatory lending and loan flipping. CrossCheck reviewed the underwriting of the subject mortgage loan and provided expert opinions on the quality of the underwriting (including the borrower’s ability to repay), benefit to the borrower, and suitability of the type of… Read more »
Mortgage Servicing Review
One of the nation’s largest banks, serving as trustee on various mortgage-backed securities, wanted to assess the performance of the servicer of the trust’s loans. CrossCheck performed this review, allowing the trustee to have a reliable understanding of the servicer’s performance.
Mortgage-backed Securities Settlement Evaluation
CrossCheck partnered with a major litigation support firm to provide an opinion as to the fairness of a proposed settlement between an RMBS issuer and various investor groups. CrossCheck supervised the review of several thousand loans sampled from multiple RMBS trusts in order to evaluate the proposed settlement amount. The work resulted in approval of… Read more »
HAMP Expert Testimony
Counsel for a top-five bank engaged CrossCheck on several cases to review plaintiffs’ declined HAMP modifications. We prepared an expert report and provided deposition testimony, resulting in favorable settlements for the bank.
HAMP Class Action
A plaintiff brought a class action regarding HAMP modifications against one of the largest banks. Counsel engaged CrossCheck to review the mortgage servicing files. We prepared an expert report and provided deposition testimony, which resulted in denial of class certification.
RMBS Investor Litigation
Mortgage-backed securities investors, including government-sponsored enterprises regulated by FHFA, have filed actions under the Securities Exchange Act of 1933 and various state investment acts. Defendants’ counsel has retained CrossCheck to provide loan file review and expert testimony on many of these cases. We review the mortgage loan files underlying the security to evaluate the original… Read more »
Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering
CrossCheck performs Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering independent audits for the various client segments it serves. Our approach is based on the examination guidelines published by the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) and FinCEN requirements. An independent audit provides management with an unbiased assessment of compliance with the anti-money laundering requirements and raises the state… Read more »
CFPB Readiness Exams
With implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act, mortgage companies became subject to examination by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Mortgage originators and servicers alike have engaged CrossCheck to assess their readiness for these examinations. Our approach for the review is based on the CFPB examination guidance and our findings enabled the originator/servicer to remediate issues… Read more »
Internal Audit Plan Development and Risk Assessment
Continued growth and increased regulatory and investor scrutiny have prompted a number of mid-size, private non-depository mortgage servicers, originators, and fintech companies to implement an internal audit function. CrossCheck deploys experienced and certified internal auditors to assist with development of an internal audit plan including a risk assessment, audit schedule, and management and board reporting.… Read more »
Fair Lending Examination Assistance
Subsequent to a regulatory examination, we were engaged in an advisory role and in partnership with the bank’s legal counsel. Assistance included responses to examination requests for additional information, independent review of redlining risk and preparation for potential referral to the Department of Justice.
Fair Lending Program Audit
We were engaged to perform an audit of the bank’s fair lending compliance management system (FL CMS) in coordination with the internal audit department. The objective of the engagement was for CrossCheck to provide deeper expertise to the audit team. The scope of the audit included program governance, roles and responsibilities, policies, monitoring, and analytics. Line… Read more »
Fair Lending and UDAAP Audit Program Development
One of the pillars of an effective fair lending compliance management system (FL CMS) is the independent review or audit of the fair lending and responsible lending program. We assisted the company’s internal audit function in developing audit programs to assess the effectiveness of fair lending and Unfair, Deceptive or Abusive Acts or Practices (UDAAP)… Read more »
HMDA Data Integrity
We have assisted numerous mortgage companies in validating the accuracy of Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data previously submitted or in preparation for an upcoming submission. Our approach to HMDA data errors and omissions testing integrates systemic data routines to identify conflicts between loan origination systems (LOS) and HMDA data. Identifying statistical anomalies or “red flags”… Read more »
CRA Performance Review
We prepared a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) performance evaluation for the bank in anticipation of its upcoming CRA examination. The performance evaluation is based on the regulatory CRA examination procedures and describes the bank’s efforts to meet the needs of the communities it serves. The engagement addressed the bank’s performance under the lending test, service test,… Read more »
Fair Lending Performance Review
We performed an analysis of the bank’s HMDA lending activity to identify 1) differences in levels of assistance based on the timing of decisions and final disposition of applications; 2) disparities in application outcomes including origination, denial, and non-decisioned applications; 3) pricing variances related to the frequency and magnitude of differences in APR and rate spread; 4)… Read more »
CRA Parity Analysis
We assisted the bank in developing a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) parity analysis to identify gaps in mortgage, small business, and small farm lending performance. Parity was established using owner occupied properties for mortgage and the distribution of businesses and farms for small business and small farm lending performance comparison. Distribution analysis identified deficiencies in the… Read more »
Mortgage Operations Audit
The client requested CrossCheck perform an assessment of its mortgage and home equity operations. The scope and objective of this review included an assessment of compliance with applicable consumer and safety and soundness regulations, evaluation of internal controls, determination of adherence to and effectiveness of the bank’s policies and procedures, and comparison to industry standards… Read more »
Second Lien Portfolio Repurchase Review
A large regional bank, who had purchased a portfolio of second lien loans on a servicing retained basis, was concerned that the original underwriting was not as represented and was dissatisfied with the servicing. CrossCheck reviewed the loan origination and servicing contracts to understand each party’s rights (e.g. repurchase, termination of servicing) and performed a… Read more »
Mortgage Fraud Review
The mortgage subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest banks requested a forensic review of residential mortgage loans acquired from various mortgage lenders and correspondent banks. CrossCheck’s team of mortgage fraud experts reviewed loans to determine the existence of material misrepresentation, which would result in a request to repurchase the loan. CrossCheck determined on which… Read more »
GSE Repurchase Reviews
CrossCheck has assisted a number of its clients who received repurchase requests from Fannie Mae and/or Freddie Mac. CrossCheck performed a forensic review to verify the allegations in the GSE repurchase demand. Where appropriate, CrossCheck prepared the rebuttal letter and supporting evidentiary file, successfully rebutting thousands of repurchase demands.
