The FDIC board of directors today approved a final rule to raise the appraisal thresholds for commercial real estate transactions from $250,000 to $500,000.

Do we need to notify customers if we remove a prepayment penalty clause? Plus more.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today released the lists of rural counties and rural or underserved counties that entities can use in 2018 to determine whether they are exempt from certain regulatory requirements under the bureau’s Ability-to-Repay, escrow, HOEPA and appraisal rules.

The latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast tackles the shortage of qualified appraisers -- especially in rural areas, where lenders are seeing delays of several months in getting appraisals for commercial real estate and agricultural transactions.

The Appraisal Qualifications Board announced today that it will adopt a proposal to change the qualification criteria for real property appraisers.

In a comment letter to the Appraisal Qualifications Board today, the American Bankers Association offered its support for a proposal by AQB to change the qualification criteria for real property appraisers -- a proposal that came after intense advocacy by ABA and bankers seeking solutions to the rural appraiser shortage.

The federal regulatory agencies last week updated their rulemaking agendas for the remainder of 2017 and into 2018.

During a markup yesterday and today, the House Financial Services Committee approved several regulatory relief bills advocated by ABA as part of its Blueprint for Growth.

With the House Ways and Means Committee currently considering a major tax overhaul bill and a Senate bill expected to be introduced any day now, tax reform took center stage on this week's episode of the ABA Newsbytes Podcast.

As lenders continue to raise concerns about a lack of certified appraisers, particularly in rural areas, the Appraisal Qualifications Board last week released a fourth exposure draft of a proposal to change the qualification criteria for real property appraisers.