Policymaking

Despite the Fair Housing Act going into effect 51 years ago, LGBTQ+ still face discrimination when buying a home or applying for a mortgage.

The agency’s new guidance would limit some nonprofits’ ability to help borrowers pay their down payments, leading to higher home costs.

There's been chatter about whether the government-sponsored enterprises should be considered systemically important. But supporters must consider that such a designation would put the Fed in charge of their supervision, a step that would do more harm than good.

The FHFA director’s recent comments about whether the government-sponsored enterprises should be designated as SIFIs tees up a potentially significant element of the mortgage finance debate.

FHFA Director Mark Calabria should ensure the government-sponsored enterprises hold at least 4% of total assets as part of housing finance reform.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has named three senior advisers for policy, economics and communications.

Two nonprofits threatened by the effort say the Department of Housing and Urban Development tried to avoid scrutiny last month when it announced the new policy outside the formal rulemaking process.

As the CFPB moves closer to updating its debt collection regulations, revising restrictions on phone calls and other communications with consumers must be a priority.

The current debate around changes to the Community Reinvestment Act should include discussions about how the law can be used to better support low-income communities in remote areas.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency is planning on finalizing its proposed capital requirements for the government-sponsored enterprises this summer, the agency's acting director said Wednesday.

Senators dove into how to ensure housing finance reform serves lenders of all sizes, just as the Trump administration moved closer to crafting its own GSE plan.

The government-sponsored enterprises have continued to expand over the past decade, despite being in conservatorship. New leadership at the FHFA should reverse this trend.

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

As debate over the future of the mortgage finance system heats up, policymakers must ensure that small banks and credit unions maintain equitable access to the secondary market.

The Senate Banking Committee will hold two hearings at the end of March on Chairman Mike Crapo’s most recent framework for housing finance reform.

The House Financial Services Committee debated legislation Wednesday to reform and reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, but no clear solution emerged.

The secretary of housing and urban development plans to "finish out this term" but wants to return to "the private sector because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more."

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 House Financial Services Committee will hold eight hearings next month, looking at Wells Fargo's recent consumer protection scandals, a reauthorization of the flood insurance program and more.

Policymakers could improve independent mortgage banks' financial stability by giving these companies improved access to liquidity, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.