Politics and policy
Politics and policy
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A section of Trump's executive order on mortgage credit called for eliminating requirements for loan officer registration, a process industry experts say has never been considered a burden.
March 30 -
Two former members of the Federal Open Market Committee said in interviews that they expect the Federal Reserve to keep rates steady amid uncertainty over the ongoing war with Iran and the resulting upward pressure on inflation.
March 27 -
In three separate appearances Thursday, Fed Gov. Lisa Cook, Gov. Michael Barr and Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said they are worried that U.S. involvement in the war with Iran could drive up inflation, leading them to conclude that interest rates should remain steady in the near term.
March 26 -
New questions about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's guarantee by experts who saw conservatorship start points to tensions in a stalled secondary offering.
March 26 -
The 30-year fixed mortgage has increased by 40 basis points since February, while the 15-year is 14 basis points lower than a year ago, Freddie Mac reported.
March 26 -
A recent executive order encouraging changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Ability-To-Repay and Qualified Mortgage rules are adding to a packed agenda at a time when the agency has lost a third of its staff.
March 26 -
Some lenders and condo market stakeholders are raising concerns that new GSE rules ending limited reviews and tightening reserve requirements could raise costs.
March 25 -
What was once a bipartisan and broadly popular housing bill has been weighed down with a pair of provisions that banks can't support. Even with those headwinds, the bill is more likely than not to pass, but not without drawn-out negotiations between the House and Senate.
March 25 -
Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said in a speech Tuesday afternoon that he wants to see a durable and reliable reduction in consumer price inflation before he considers cutting the central bank's interest rates.
March 24 -
Republican Sen. Josh Hawley repeated his long-standing criticism of Fair Isaac Corp. in a letter noting the detrimental impact of its prices on home buyers.
March 24 -
The new executive order could add lender competition for self-employed borrowers, potentially via a small loan carveout and one for portfolio products.
March 23 -
The FHFA's ACV condo insurance rollback gets the balance right between affordability and safety, even if politics muddied the waters, the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors writes.
March 23 -
Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran said it is too early to judge how U.S. involvement in the war with Iran will affect inflation and monetary policy.
March 23 -
The Trump administration hasn't formally charged Swalwell, Adam Schiff or Lisa Cook, while a federal court tossed a prosecution against Letitia James.
March 23 -
A first look at the capital plan suggests it moves the real estate finance industry closer to changes it lobbied for, but the devil may be in the details.
March 19 -
Federal regulators issued proposals Thursday to implement the final elements of the Basel III accords, adjust the global systemically important bank surcharge and implement standardized approaches for risk-weighted assets. The changes would reduce capital requirements for banks of all sizes affected by the rules.
March 19 -
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, in a post-FOMC meeting Wednesday, said he intends to stay at his post until a successor has been confirmed, adding that he will remain on the Fed board until a Justice Department investigation into him is concluded.
March 18 -
The Federal Open Market Committee is widely expected to keep rates unchanged, but all eyes will be on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's commentary about the economic impacts of the Iran war and its longer-term impact on inflation.
March 18 -
Over the course of its first year in office, the second Trump administration has neutralized the enforcement of key civil rights laws by reorienting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rules and eliminating "disparate impact" that allows banks to be penalized for the discriminatory effects of policies without proving discriminatory intent.
March 18 -
In an interview at ICE Mortgage Technology's annual conference, Bob Broeksmit also expressed skepticism of market dominance among just a few large lenders.
March 17



















