Lawmakers skeptical of 'Ability-to-Repay' mortgage rule

Critics say the “Ability-to-Repay” mortgage rule proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in January will hurt small lenders, who will have less leeway to make loans including those with “balloon” payments. Another item of contention is which fees will be counted in calculating a provision of the rule that caps fees at 3 percent of the total loan amount. The proposed rule — set to take effect in January 2014 — came under fire from Democrats and Republicans at a House Financial Services Committee hearing today, the Wall Street Journal reports. Source: blogs.wsj.com.