FDIC

Recent remarks from top officials at the FDIC and Fed suggest the agencies' recent impasse over reforming the Community Reinvestment Act may be ending.

While the OCC has led the charge on modernizing the Community Reinvestment Act, Gov. Lael Brainard gave a rundown of new ideas under discussion — from updating assessment boundaries to a comprehensive community development test.

Private flood insurance rules that go into effect this summer have a safe harbor for some policies, but determining whether others are compliant could be a time-consuming, imprecise and costly exercise.

The federal banking agencies will not hold a hearing on a proposal to reduce the number of residential real estate transactions that require an appraisal.

Depository mortgage lenders are optimistic the final version of a regulation designed to open up the flood insurance market will make it easier for them to comply with a rule requiring them to accept private carrier policies.

The comptroller of the currency also addressed, in his role as acting FHFA head, whether Congress or the Trump administration will spearhead GSE reform.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Lael Brainard said public comments demonstrate a desire among stakeholders for reforms to be implemented consistently across the Fed, OCC and FDIC.

As suspense builds over which firm will be the first to seek the special-purpose charter, a side discussion has emerged over which financial services sector has the most to gain — or lose — from the new option.

The agencies are weighing a plan to reduce the scope of residential real estate transactions requiring an appraisal, but appraisers have warned that the proposal could have consequences.

A proposal issued over a year ago by federal banking agencies to simplify risk-based capital rules and ease compliance burdens for community banks has still not been finalized, and mortgage brokers and bankers are calling on them to do just that.

A proposal allowing more lenders to skip outside appraisals could remove a hurdle to quick closings, but appraisers say they could be collateral damage.

The effort to raise the threshold for transactions excused from appraisal requirements responds to concerns that the current threshold is outpaced by real estate prices.

FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams questioned whether regulators and banks are fully capturing the emerging risks of a new shadow banking system.

The move allows the New York multifamily lender to make more loans without having to raise capital.

The federal agencies said in a recent statement that “guidance does not have the force and effect of law,” but two trade groups say that standard should be more binding.

Federal regulators have issued answers to frequently asked questions on appraisal regulations.

The House of Representatives passed two bills that would tie appraisal waivers for Small Business Administration loans to bank rules for commercial real estate loans, despite objections from the Appraisal Institute about its members being cut out of transactions.

A Jacksonville, Ill., church facing foreclosure has a new lease on life after months of fundraising.

The changes mandated by the recent regulatory relief law would narrow the definition of "high-volatility commercial real estate" exposures that get a higher risk weight.

Regulators will continue to issue guidance to articulate general views on appropriate practices, but they will not issue enforcement actions based on violations.