Compliance & Regulation

Baltimore has suffered another setback in its case against Wells Fargo & Co. in which it argues that the bank's lending practices led to foreclosures that have hurt the city.

Lenders were given a ray of hope Thursday that the Federal Housing Administration may come down on the side of flexibility when it finally issues a final rule regarding seller concessions.

WASHINGTON — How to ensure the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has the flexibility it seeks while giving investors and issuers the certainty they need has emerged as the central sticking point confronting lawmakers interested in developing a covered bond market in the U.S.

Rhode Island enjoys a "really good" success rate when it comes to saving the homes of troubled borrowers, according to housing counselors speaking at the New England Mortgage Bankers Conference in Providence.

President Obama is expected to appoint Elizabeth Warren as an assistant to the president and special advisor to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner tasked with getting the new consumer protection bureau on its feet, a Democratic official said late Wednesday.

The Treasury's point man on GSE reform said Wednesday that the Obama White House will not propose any changes to government guarantees backing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac MBS for fear of hurting the liquidity and functionality of the U.S. mortgage market.

A senior regulator said banks must better align capital buffers with commercial real estate concentrations, and he recommended a smaller role for auditors in setting loan-loss reserves.

What’s a sure-fire way for the White House to win the hearts and minds of voters? Answer: If a consumer has a Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac mortgage the government can wave a magic wand and reduce his 6% loan down to a market rate of 4%. Sounds simple, doesn’t it?

Senate Democrats largely supported the idea of appointing Elizabeth Warren as the temporary head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, with one key exception — Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd — who joined Republicans in arguing such a move would be a "mistake."

CoreLogic and Blueberry Systems have formed a partnership to offer fraud prevention technology to lenders and servicers.