In Brief: HUD Seeks Views on Respa at Its Web Site

Bankers can now give the government an earful about real estate lending rules via the Internet.

For the next two months, bankers can discuss the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act at the Department of Housing and Urban Development's World Wide Web site. While they won't be answering questions, HUD officials said they would "be eavesdropping" on the discussion to gain industry viewpoints on the constantly evolving real estate rules.

"We will certainly be watching the views that people bring to this," said Sarah Rosen, special assistant to HUD's assistant secretary of housing. She recently headed the agency's negotiated-rulemaking committee on mortgage-broker fees. "It may help us prioritize some of the items we've got on the table."

The Respa discussion will continue through Sept. 22. It can be reached at http://www.hud.gov/townhall.html.

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