Maryna holds the BA, LLB, LLM degrees and is a Director at the Cape Town branch of STBB. She is an admitted Attorney, Notary Public, Conveyancer and Insolvency Practitioner with many years of experience in the fields of property law, conveyancing and the laws relating to corporate compliance (especially in respect of the FICA and POPIA laws). Up until 2018 she was also head of the firm’s national marketing portfolio. She is a seasoned public speaker and presenter, both in person and online. She prepares text for the majority of STBB’s internal and external publications and is editor and co-writer for two pivotal publications in the South African real estate industry – the ABC of Conveyancing (JUTA) and Delport’s South African Property Law and Practice (JUTA).

Thought of the Week | Changed Home Loan Disclosures Mooted

The Times They Are a-Changin’

These Bob Dylan lyrics jump to mind when one reacts to the continuous introduction of new laws or amendments to existing laws, especially in the property industry sphere. In the past three weeks we reported on the new Agricultural Land Holdings Bill and the Property Practitioners Bill. This week there is the Amendment Bill to the Home Loan and Mortgage Disclosure Act, also published in the past month.

The suggested amendments introduce (i) changes to eliminate possible conflict of interest in the Office of Disclosures; (ii) increased powers of this Office to interview officials at financial institutions, to impose penalties and to mediate complaints received from the public; and (iii) increased reporting obligations of financial institutions regarding the volume of home loan applications they receive, approve or decline as well as reasons why applications are declined. The aim is to curb alleged discrimination in these applications and to assist the Department of Human Settlements to develop policies to enhance affordability and access to finance.

The Amendment Bill can be viewed here and is open for public comment is 30 April.

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