Compliance & Regulation

MetLife Inc., the largest U.S. life insurer, is increasing bets on real estate as the company scales back investments in hedge funds.

Several civil rights and community development groups wrote Tuesday to urge the Federal Housing Finance Agency to recapitalize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

KeyCorp's $4.1 billion bid to buy First Niagara Financial Group Inc. is facing scrutiny over a U.S. investigation into First Niagara's minority lending practices, according to two people familiar with the matter.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other federal banking agencies should do more to protect consumers with limited English proficiency, a report from Americans for Financial Reform says.

JPMorgan Chase has received credit for $3.89 billion of consumer relief, plus it says it has provided an additional $113 million, putting the bank over the top on its obligation.

Banks have rushed to the exits when it comes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac debt securities. Federal liquidity rules seem to be prompting big banks to do so, but why small banks are unloading the bonds, too, is more of a puzzler.

The CFPB alleges that David Eghbali, a loan officer for a Wells Fargo branch in Beverly Hills, Calif., developed a scheme to manipulate escrow fees in order to close more mortgages and boost his bonus. Eghbali says he was forced to sign a settlement because he couldn't afford to fight the CFPB in court.

The Inspector General for the Department of Housing and Urban Development is not backing down on his concerns about premium pricing associated with the down payment assistance programs by the Federal Housing Administration.

The bank's new low-down-payment mortgage, an alternative to FHA loans, dispenses with the complex qualification requirements that have hampered recent efforts with low down payments by Fannie and Freddie.

Recent legislative proposals to make piecemeal changes to the government-sponsored enterprises could set broader GSE reform on the wrong path.