Robert Maddox Quoted in National Mortgage News on 2026 Compliance Risks

Bradley attorney Robert Maddox was quoted in National Mortgage News emphasizing that mortgage industry rules will still apply in 2026, even if the regulatory environment feels looser.

Maddox warned lenders against letting their guard down on compliance. While enforcement from regulators may appear quieter, he said lenders should not mistake that for deregulation. “Rather than deregulation, this is a self-regulatory environment because fair lending laws haven’t changed,” Maddox said.

With mortgage rates likely to remain around 6%, most business in 2026 is expected to come from home purchases rather than refinances. Maddox noted that regulators can review loans years after they are originated. "Banks and mortgage originators are going to still follow the law and be prudent," he said.

Some industry participants believe compliance risks have diminished. However, Maddox cautioned that tools like disparate impact analysis may return, even if they are not widely used today. “The analysis that we’re using right now won’t come back and be what’s utilized against us — and that’s just not true,” he said.

Even if the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau appears weaker, Maddox said lenders should not relax. "We may not have as many enforcement actions or many headline grabbing stories, but I still think that they're going to focus on origination, pricing, disclosures, data integrity, all those key issues that are so critical to the mortgage origination market," he warned.

Maddox’s bottom line is that the laws have not changed, and prudent companies will remain diligent. His final warning: "Just because there aren't headline grabbing enforcement actions now, they're still going to have to mind the shop, because this cycle will also change as well."

The full article, “Why 2026 could be the mortgage industry’s reset year,” was published by National Mortgage News on Dec. 22, 2025. (login required)