Policymaking

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.

Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting met Tuesday with acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney to discuss ways to reduce regulatory burden and coordinate supervision of financial firms.