The Senate Banking Committee approved Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio, on Wednesday to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The committee voted 16-6 in favor of Castro, who testified at a confirmation hearing earlier this month that he would work to help pass housing finance reform in Congress. He also said he would continue to strengthen the finances of the Federal Housing Administration to avoid another government infusion like that required last year the first in the agency’s 80-year history.
Castro’s nomination now moves to the Senate floor. If confirmed, he will succeed Shaun Donovan, who has been nominated to head the Office of Management and Budget.
There's temporary leeway on formal compliance with replacement-cost value requirements in order to sort out insurer concerns with a recent re-emphasis on them.
Max Levchin, CEO of the buy now/pay later lender, said recent tests show young adults prefer interacting with intelligent chatbots over phone-based agents, but the company doesn't foresee major cost savings from generative AI for a few more years.