Guide to Reporting Commercial HMDA Loans in 2018
The new HMDA rule changes are fast approaching. Are you ready for them all?
One area of concern I’ve seen a lot lately has been in regard to commercial lending, and when commercial transactions are HMDA reportable. Commercial transactions can be complicated and confusing, so keeping it as simple and streamlined as possible just makes life easier. I see commercial HMDA reportability as being a two-part test, the “security” test and the “business purpose exclusion” test.
The Security Test
This is step one in any new HMDA analysis. Old HMDA required the reporting of home purchase loans, home improvement loans, and refinancings. This required the lender to look at the purpose of loan first to determine if it’s HMDA reportable.
But not anymore.
New HMDA requires that lenders report “covered loans” meaning closed-end mortgage loans and open-end lines of credit (unless an exclusion applies, as we’ll get to). Covered loans are those secured by a dwelling. So it’s a simple first test:
Is the loan secured by a dwelling?
If yes, see if it’s excluded or exempt for some reason;
If no, stop. It’s not HMDA reportable.
A few points about what a “dwelling” is though. A “dwelling” is a residential structure. That’s it. It includes condos, detached homes, manufactured homes, multifamily buildings, etc. It doesn’t include recreation vehicles, boats, or temporary housing (like dorms, hotels, or hospitals). It doesn’t have to be the principal dwelling of the borrower either; investment properties and vacation homes count as dwellings also for HMDA purposes.
What about mixed use properties that have both commercial and residential space? It’s a dwelling if its primary use is residential. HMDA permits the lender to set their own reasonable standards for how to determine what the primary use is, and that standard can apply on a case-by-case basis. In some cases, it might make more sense to base it off of square footage of the property; in others, it might make more sense to compare the income generated. Or perhaps the residential units are filled and the commercial space has been vacant for a while. Different situations apply to different loans, hence the flexibility given to the lender to make a reasonable judgment call.
The Business Purpose Exclusion Test
Once it’s determined the loan is secured by a dwelling, you should check to see if an exemption applies. We’re focusing on the business or commercial purpose exclusion. (12 CFR 1003.3(c)(10)). Here’s the rule:
If the loan is secured by a dwelling, but will go towards a business or commercial purpose, then it is not HMDA reportable UNLESS it is also a home purchase loan, home improvement loan, or refinancing.
In other words:
Is the loan primarily for a business or commercial purpose?
If no, then it is HMDA reportable (unless another exclusion applies).
If yes, then
Is it for a home purchase, home improvement, or refinancing?
If no, then it is not HMDA reportable
If yes, then it is HMDA reportable.
Again, an institution can determine for itself what the primary purpose of the loan is.
Also, as with the security test, the home purchase, home improvement, or refinancing purpose does not need to be on the borrower’s principal dwelling. So, for example, it’s still a HMDA reportable loan to purchase an investment property.
Commercial lending can be tricky, so there are going to be situations where it’s not immediately clear whether a transaction is HMDA reportable. Hopefully this makes it just a little easier though. Of course, at the end of the day it’s always better to be sure of the answer, so if you still have questions on a tricky case, please don’t hesitate to reach out.