ICBA

The total mortgage originations market is estimated to be around $1.2 trillion in 2015. With that in mind, the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) and the nation’s more than 6,000 community banks are on hand to help homebuyers navigate the mortgage process.

During ICBA Community Banking Month, the Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) celebrates the nation’s more than 6,000 community banks, which build stronger communities by helping local customers gain financial stability through quality products and services and access to financial literacy information and tools.

The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) expressed its strong support for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposed reforms to its Qualified Mortgage rules.

The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today announced its top legislative and regulatory priorities for 2015. ICBA made the announcement in Orlando, Fla. at its national convention, ICBA Community Banking LIVE®, the largest community banking industry event in the world.

Washington, D.C. - February 27, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today said that final mortgage rules issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) should be adjusted to avoid leaving many consumers without access to mortgage credit. In a comment letter, ICBA wrote that while it appreciates accommodations for community banks in the CFPB’s new ability-to-repay and qualified mortgage (QM) regulations, the bureau should expand on these efforts to preserve access to credit for small-market customers.

Washington, D.C. - January 24, 2013 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today said it supports provisions of a new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that will allow community banks to hire and retain qualified mortgage loan originators while providing consumer safeguards against steering and other inappropriate behaviors. The CFPB rule, which bans certain incentives that some loan originators had used to sell unsafe mortgage loans, clarifies that acceptable mortgage loan originator compensation structures include qualified and non-qualified bonus and profit-sharing plans.

Washington, D.C. - January 18, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today said it is encouraged that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) final rules establishing new mortgage-servicing rules recognize the sound practices of community bank servicers. By exempting servicers that service 5,000 or fewer mortgage loans, the bureau recognizes that community bank servicers did not engage in the abuses that have roiled the housing market.

Washington, D.C. - January 10, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Karen Thomas, senior executive vice president of government relations and public policy for the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), testified today during the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) field hearing on mortgage policy in Baltimore, Md. Thomas’ testimony comes on the day that the CFPB released its final rule on consumers’ ability to repay mortgage loans—provisions known as the “qualified mortgage” rule. Included below are Thomas’ remarks.

Washington, D.C. - September 13, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Community banks were not responsible for the mortgage crisis, and therefore community bank portfolio loans should be exempt from pending regulations on high-cost mortgages the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) said. In a comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), ICBA said that the bureau should provide exemptions for community bank portfolio loans to ensure that community banks are not driven from the mortgage market and can continue to serve customers in their communities.

Washington, D.C. - June 6, 2012 - (RealEstateRama) -- Proposed reforms to the U.S. housing-finance system must support the continued role of the nation’s community banks in financing homeownership, the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) told policymakers. Speaking at a housing forum sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Housing Commission and the Jack Kemp Foundation, ICBA Senior Executive Vice President and Chief of Staff Terry Jorde said that the housing-finance system should support a diverse range of mortgage lenders with a robust secondary market that is available to all.

Washington, D.C. - October 17, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Tim Zimmerman, president and CEO of Standard Bank, Monroeville, Pa., urged Congress today on behalf of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) to preserve the significant role of the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) system, which helps our nation’s more than 7,000 community banks continue to serve their communities by providing their local customers with a variety of loans including mortgage, small business and agricultural loans. Many of these local customers would be underserved if it were not for their local community bank.

Washington, D.C. - June 30, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- Jack Hartings, president and CEO of The Peoples Bank Co. in Coldwater, Ohio, and a member of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) Executive Committee, today told Congress that the secondary mortgage market must be impartial and provide equitable access and pricing to all lenders regardless of size or lending volume. He also stressed that all originators must have the option to retain servicing after the sale of a loan.

Washington, D.C. - May 12, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- ICBA Mortgage Corp., the mortgage lending subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), and QBE FIRST today announced an exclusive one-year, preferred vendor agreement that will provide ICBA members with tax tracking, tax insourcing and escrow administration services.

Washington, D.C. - March 10, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) issued the following statement today regarding the release of the state attorneys general foreclosure settlement term sheet. "While much of Wall Street has already recovered from the financial fallout, many of America's Main Street communities continue to struggle with its harsh effects. The last thing these communities need is further deterioration of their already fragile housing markets and economies caused by these proposed settlement terms that would delay legitimate foreclosure actions and permit bankruptcy judges to reduce mortgage balances.

Washington, D.C. - March 1, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) told Congress today in a written statement that Main Street community banks need a financially strong, impartial secondary market that provides equitable access and pricing to all lenders regardless of size or volume. ICBA also outlined its own proposal for secondary mortgage market reform.

Washington, D.C. - February 16, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) -- ICBA Mortgage, the mortgage-lending subsidiary of the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA), today announced the renewal of its alliance agreement with Fannie Mae, which allows ICBA-member community banks to access a package of special benefits that helps them better serve their customers' housing-finance needs

Washington, D.C. - February 11, 2011 - (RealEstateRama) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today said that the nation’s housing finance system must continue to provide a variety of finance options to meet the needs of different consumers, housing types and locations. Following the release of the Obama administration’s plan on housing finance, ICBA reminded policymakers that a stable secondary market for residential mortgages is essential to community banks and Main Street America, while also stressing completely privatizing the secondary mortgage market would have ruinous effects both on community banks and the customers they serve.