The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency Monday said it will scrap fair housing reporting requirements, fast-track licensing for small banks and simplify regulation for smaller institutions overall.

The oversight agency for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is taking a new approach to affordability targets and is withdrawing some unrelated, older initiatives.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said Friday that the economic outlook is uncertain and that he was adopting a cautious approach to gauging whether slowing growth and a softening labor market outweigh inflation pressures from tariffs.

The ongoing government shutdown prevented the Bureau of Labor Statistics from releasing its September jobs report Friday, but job growth appears to be softening. The lack of reliable government data comes as the Federal Reserve mulls further interest rate cuts. 

"It's likely going to be in the thousands," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday, saying that the "entire team at the White House" was working to identify possible cuts.

A stock offering or conservatorship exit could raise loan costs in some contemplated scenarios, a Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research study finds.

Department officials pushed back on criticism that a banner on its homepage violated a statute meant to curb partisanship in government operations.

The first government shutdown since 2019 will slow flood insurance originations and new Small Business Administration loans, though self-funded banking regulators will continue operating as usual.

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it would defer President Donald Trump's request for a stay until after oral arguments scheduled for January 2026, allowing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to remain on the board at least until then.

The shutdown started with a flight into treasury bonds, putting downward pressure on financing costs, but several other developments slowed mortgage activity.