Ian McKendry

The busy legislative agenda laid out by President Trump in the State of the Union speech Tuesday night casts doubt on how quickly Congress can move on financial services legislation, particularly a housing finance reform package.

The candidates being discussed lately to run the agency bring experience on consumer protection issues, and potential bipartisan appeal.

Analysts believe a bipartisan coalition supporting limited regulatory relief will hold, but the toxic political environment and more looming budget battles to come could obstruct the banking bill's path.

The Community Home Lenders Association sent a letter to the Senate Banking Committee on Wednesday laying out its priorities for GSE reform.

Supporters of an unreleased bill to revamp the housing finance system say the plan strikes a middle ground that can gain support from both sides of the aisle.

Senators overwhelmingly approved Jerome Powell to lead the Federal Reserve Board despite vocal opposition from some Democrats.

Jonathan Dever, a Republican Ohio state representative and defense lawyer, is being touted as a top candidate to lead the bureau, according to multiple insiders.

Senate negotiators are working on a bill that would place Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into receivership and replace them with multiple mortgage guarantors, according to sources.

Craig Phillips, a top aide to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, said his department "broadly" agrees with the FHFA plan, which would return Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private market and provide them an explicit government guarantee.

FHFA Director Mel Watt said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be reincorporated as private entities and the government must provide an explicit guarantee for catastrophic losses in the secondary mortgage market.

Mark Calabria, chief economist to Vice President Mike Pence, said passage of the regulatory relief bill could be delayed as policymakers deal with other items such as budget deadlines and an infrastructure bill.

The Senate Banking Committee had approved Powell already in December, but a revote was necessary after the Senate adjourned for the year without finalizing his confirmation.

National Credit Union Administration Chairman Mark McWatters has not even been announced as President Trump's pick to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but his potential nomination already is uniting diverse groups in opposition.

Housing finance reform proposals could make it challenging for community banks and credit unions to serve rural mortgage markets, according to a report issued Wednesday by Brookings and the Center for Responsible Lending.

The two senators are set to introduce a bill that would force such firms to pay $100 per customer whose personal information was compromised.

The Senate Banking Committee is expected soon to release a bipartisan bill that would significantly reshape the housing finance market, but key issues remain unresolved.

In his current position as chair of the National Credit Union Administration, J. Mark McWatters has publicly advocated for cutting back the CFPB’s oversight of the credit union industry.

A regulatory relief package is likely to come out of the Senate in the new year, and lawmakers could follow it up with a housing finance reform push. But the midterm elections could cause some reform initiatives to grind to a halt.

The announcement Thursday that Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt agreed to let Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each build a $3 billion capital buffer avoided a potential crisis.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be allowed to build capital buffers to protect against losses under an agreement between the Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced on Thursday.