[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 7, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9629-9631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02474]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Loan Guaranty: Maximum Allowable Attorney Fees

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice provides updated information to participants in 
the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Home Loan Guaranty program 
concerning the maximum allowable bankruptcy attorney fees that are 
incurred by a servicer for legal services performed on their behalf. 
The notice also provides the allowable maximum attorney fees in 
calculating the indebtedness used to determine the guaranty claim 
payable upon loan termination. The table in this notice contains the 
amounts the Secretary has determined to be reasonable and customary for 
all States, following an annual review of amounts allowed by other 
government-related home loan programs.

DATES: The new maximum amounts for bankruptcy attorney fees will be 
allowed for each bankruptcy filed on or after March 9, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Andrew Trevayne, Assistant 
Director for Loan and Property Management (261), Loan Guaranty Service, 
Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC 20420, (202) 632-8795 
(Not a toll-free number).

[[Page 9630]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The VA Home Loan Guaranty program authorized 
by title 38, United States Code (U.S.C.), Chapter 37, offers a partial 
guaranty against loss to lenders who make home loans to veterans. VA 
regulations concerning the payment of loan guaranty claims are set 
forth at 38 CFR 36.4300, et seq. Computation of guaranty claims is 
addressed in 38 CFR 36.4324, which states that one part of the 
indebtedness upon which the guaranty percentage is applied is the 
allowable expenses/advances as described in 38 CFR 36.4314. Paragraph 
(b)(5)(ii) of section 36.4314 describes the procedures to be followed 
in determining what constitutes the reasonable and customary fees for 
legal services in the termination of a loan.
    The Secretary annually reviews allowances for legal fees in 
connection with the termination of single-family housing loans, 
including foreclosure, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, and bankruptcy-
related services, issued by the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD), the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie 
Mae), and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac). 
Based on increases in bankruptcy attorney fees announced over the past 
year by these entities, the Secretary has deemed it necessary to 
publish in the Federal Register a table setting forth the revised 
amounts the Secretary now determines to be reasonable and customary for 
bankruptcy attorney fees. The table reflects the primary method for 
foreclosing in each state, either judicial or non-judicial, with the 
exception of those states where either judicial or non-judicial is 
acceptable. The use of a method not authorized in the table will 
require prior approval from VA. This table will be available throughout 
the year at: http://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/.
    There has been no change to the amounts VA will allow for attorney 
fees for foreclosure termination and for deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure. 
VA will continue to monitor these fees on an annual basis, as we are 
aware that other entities are conducting ongoing reviews of these fees.
    The following table represents the Secretary's determination of the 
reasonable and customary cost of legal services for the preferred 
method of terminating VA loans in each jurisdiction under the 
provisions of 38 CFR 36.4314(b)(5)(ii).

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                                                          VA non-judicial      VA judicial
                      Jurisdiction                        foreclosure 1 2    foreclosure 1 2    Deed-in-lieu of
                                                                                                  foreclosure
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Alabama................................................             $1,325                N/A               $350
Alaska.................................................              1,600                N/A                350
American Samoa.........................................              1,600                N/A                350
Arizona................................................              1,350                N/A                350
Arkansas...............................................              1,400                N/A                350
California.............................................              1,350                N/A                350
Colorado...............................................              1,650                N/A                350
Connecticut............................................                N/A              $2450                350
Delaware...............................................                N/A              1,800                350
District of Columbia...................................              1,200              2,300                350
Florida................................................                N/A              2,800                350
Georgia................................................              1,325                N/A                350
Guam...................................................              1,600                N/A                350
Hawaii.................................................                N/A              2,950                350
Idaho..................................................              1,150                N/A                350
Illinois...............................................                N/A              2,300                350
Indiana................................................                N/A              2,050                350
Iowa...................................................              1,275              1,880                350
Kansas.................................................                N/A              1,800                350
Kentucky...............................................                N/A              2,250                350
Louisiana..............................................                N/A              1,900                350
Maine..................................................                N/A              2,300                350
Maryland...............................................              2,400                N/A                350
Massachusetts..........................................                N/A              2,550                350
Michigan...............................................              1,425                N/A                350
Minnesota..............................................              1,450                N/A                350
Mississippi............................................              1,200                N/A                350
Missouri...............................................              1,350                N/A                350
Montana................................................              1,150                N/A                350
Nebraska...............................................              1,150                N/A                350
Nevada.................................................              1,525                N/A                350
New Hampshire..........................................              1,350                N/A                350
New Jersey.............................................                N/A              2,975                350
New Mexico.............................................                N/A              2,000                350
New York--Western Counties \3\.........................                N/A              2,675                350
New York--Eastern Counties.............................                N/A              3,475                350
North Carolina.........................................              1,575                N/A                350
North Dakota...........................................                N/A              1,750                350
Ohio...................................................                N/A              2,250                350
Oklahoma...............................................                N/A              2,000                350
Oregon.................................................              1,350              2,600                350
Pennsylvania...........................................                N/A              2,350                350
Puerto Rico............................................                N/A              2,050                350
Rhode Island...........................................              1,725                N/A                350
South Carolina.........................................                N/A              2,200                350
South Dakota...........................................                N/A              1,800                350
Tennessee..............................................              1,200                N/A                350
Texas..................................................              1,325                N/A                350

[[Page 9631]]

 
Utah...................................................              1,350                N/A                350
Vermont................................................                N/A              2,250                350
Virgin Islands.........................................                N/A              1,800                350
Virginia...............................................              1,350                N/A                350
Washington.............................................              1,350                N/A                350
West Virginia..........................................              1,150                N/A                350
Wisconsin..............................................                N/A              2,000                350
Wyoming................................................              1,150                N/A                350
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\1\ When a foreclosure is stopped due to circumstances beyond the control of the holder or its attorney
  (including, but not limited to bankruptcy, VA-requested delay, property damage, hazardous conditions,
  condemnation, natural disaster, property seizure, or relief under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act) and
  then restarted, VA will allow a $350 restart fee in addition to the base foreclosure attorney fee. This fee
  recognizes the additional work required to resume the foreclosure action, while also accounting for the
  expectation that some work from the previous action may be utilized in starting the new action.
\2\ VA will allow attorney fees of $1050 (Chapter 7) or $1500 (initial Chapter 13) for obtaining bankruptcy
  releases directly related to loan termination. For multiple bankruptcy filings under either chapter, VA will
  allow an additional $500.
\3\ Western Counties of New York for VA are: Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Livingston,
  Monroe, Niagara, Ontario, Orleans, Steuben, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates. The remaining counties are in Eastern
  New York.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Gina S. 
Farrisee, Acting Chief of Staff, approved this document on January 27, 
2017, for publication.

     Approved: January 27, 2017.
Jeffrey Martin,
Office Program Manager, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, 
Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2017-02474 Filed 2-6-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P