Policymaking

Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., introduced a bipartisan package of legislation Tuesday to extend the National Flood Insurance Program through Nov. 30.

Brian Montgomery is examining why the reverse mortgage program has suffered big losses, but he said he opposes any changes that could make it harder for the elderly to stay in their homes.

Once again, congressional inaction on reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program is prompting concerns about what a lapse in coverage could mean for loan closings.

Some continue to doubt there will be a premium cut, while others say there's no telling which way Brian Montgomery will go.

The bill aimed at helping struggling homeowners also requires documentation of servicer behavior and FHFA evaluation of the services provided to borrowers.

The acting director cited the size of advisory boards and some members’ reticence among reasons for his decision.

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.

Momentum to overhaul the mortgage finance system had been slipping, and with Democrats divided over the Senate's banking relief bill there's virtually no chance more bipartisan deals can be worked out.

The House Financial Services Committee chairman's effort to make changes to a Dodd-Frank revision bill could either give him a defining victory or extend his losing streak.

Community banks and consumer advocates are clashing over a provision in the Senate banking bill on mortgage data reporting, but there’s been little vetting of what the measure would actually do.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule on Thursday that gives mortgage servicers more latitude in sending periodic statements to borrowers in bankruptcy.

A Senate proposal calling for a federal guarantee on mortgage-backed securities would only benefit the largest banks and increase the risk of bailouts.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a request for information Wednesday about certain "discretionary aspects" of the bureau’s rulemaking processes that are not already required by law.

There's been a legislative bottleneck since the the crisis-era law went into effect, but Congress has moved forward on a handful of significant changes.

The legislation carves out protections for smaller banks to offer abusive loans to borrowers under the "qualified mortgage" standard, as long as they hold those loans in portfolio.

The agency should resist renewed calls to lower insurance premiums. Doing so would increase demand and raise home prices, negating any proposed benefits.

Financial services groups are calling for more funding for the Internal Revenue Service that could fix flaws in the agency's system for verifying the income of mortgage applicants.

The House Financial Services Committee chairman is calling out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's regulator for authorizing payments to two housing trust funds while the mortgage giants have their own financial struggles.

The new budget proposal projects a very profitable Federal Housing Administration in fiscal year 2019, but there are no indications the FHA will reduce its mortgage insurance premiums anytime soon.

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.