Sherrod Brown

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said "the best place for me to continue fighting for Ohio and for the dignity of workers ... is to stay in the U.S. Senate."

Industry observers will be closely monitoring Mark Calabria's testimony before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday for hints about how the Trump administration plans to proceed on mortgage finance reform.

The agency's acting director said he welcomes lawmakers' “insight and perspective” on how to end the conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Recent comments attributed to the acting head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (who is also comptroller of the currency) have stoked speculation about the Trump administration’s housing finance policy.

A motion to limit debate on the nominee to run the consumer bureau passed along strictly party lines, setting the stage for her to be confirmed as early as next week.

Several Senate, House and gubernatorial battles are of interest to financial firms. Here is a spotlight on specific contests, with updates as they become available.

The committee approved the nomination of Kathy Kraninger to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, despite strong Democratic opposition, as well as President Trump's picks for Ginnie Mae, the Export-Import Bank and several other positions.

Michael Bright co-wrote a paper in 2016 that envisioned making the agency a backstop for the housing finance system, but appeared to distance himself from the proposal at his confirmation hearing.

The nominee to run the consumer bureau endured tough questioning over the administration’s family-separation policy but appeared to weather the barrage.

The Democratic leader in the House raised questions about Kathy Kraninger's "qualifications to lead such an important agency."

Montgomery was confirmed by the Senate 74-23 to serve his second stint at the FHA, where he previously was commissioner during the George W. Bush administration.

Lawmakers on Tuesday continued debating a thicket of proposed additions to a crucial regulatory relief bill on their way to a final vote likely to occur as early as midweek.

The Senate legislation could be crucial for three moderate Democrats backing the bill who are up for re-election this fall, although the package has divided the party more broadly.

Numerous regional banks stand to benefit from a provision that narrows the scope of institutions defined as "systemically important" under the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Senate is poised to pass the most substantial bank regulatory relief since the crisis, but any disruption of the post-crisis regime is still eclipsed by how much the bill enshrines Dodd-Frank.

Democrats used a hearing with Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lay the groundwork for an intraparty debate over the merits of the Senate’s regulatory relief bill.

Democratic lawmakers are objecting to acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney's decision to strip the fair-lending office of enforcement powers.

Continuing to pull back the reins on the aggressive approach taken under former Director Richard Cordray, the agency's new five-year plan values consumer choice over heavy-handed enforcement.

Sen. Sherrod Brown called on the Trump administration to support the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement action against PHH Corp., which agreed to a $45 million settlement this week related to foreclosure abuses.

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.