The Department of Veterans Affairs said there may be a need for further clarification of its newly issued qualified mortgage (QM) rule to allay lender fear of potential liability if they originate VA streamlined refinances, also known as Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loans (IRRRL), with a rebuttable presumption. Industry sources say VA lenders remain apprehensive despite assurances by agency officials that little has changed in the VA lending process as a result of the agency’s interim final rule. VA issued its QM document on May 9 in compliance with the Dodd-Frank Act, defining the types of VA loans that are “qualified mortgages” for purposes of the new ability-to-repay (ATR) provisions of the Truth in Lending Act. The Act also imposed similar requirements upon the FHA and the Department of Agriculture for the loans they insure or guarantee. The agency said it issued the rule on ...