Law and regulation

Low scores make it harder for banks to get regulatory OKs to expand, but Wells is in retrenchment mode anyway.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is facing criticism from bankers and credit unions over its planned pilot program to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to securitize manufactured housing loans.

Bankers and housing advocates say many low-income housing projects simply won't get built if the White House and Congress move to eliminate two federal block grant programs.

The debt is costing taxpayers $4 billion a year, but rather than forgive it Republicans remain focused on creating a private flood insurance market.

The HUD inspector general reignited an ongoing dispute with housing regulators, saying $29 billion of Federal Housing Administration mortgages may be at risk because they relied on deceptive borrower-financed down-payment assistance.

Ben Carson is facing a turbulent housing market as he takes the reins of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, with mortgage rates rising, inventories tight and home prices higher.

The Senate voted 58-41 on Thursday to confirm Ben Carson to be the 17th secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

With mortgage rates and housing prices both expected to go up this spring, lenders are facing a decision on how they will adjust to the decline in refinancings and overall lending volumes.

As banking leaders gain a more substantial policymaking role, they will have a greater impact if they stake out a clear position in favor of regulations that protect investors and depositors.

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.