Politics

The Federal Housing Administration could increase the limits for loans it insures in this market, a congressional oversight agency said in a new report.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen acknowledged that a surprisingly robust economy has led investors to assume that the Federal Reserve would maintain high interest rates over a longer period, but said longer-term drags on the economy could upend that calculus.

In a case challenging the funding of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, justices across the political spectrum questioned where — and whether — the Constitution placed limits on Congress' power to delegate funding for federal agencies outside of annual appropriations.

The bipartisan deal struck Saturday temporarily allays concerns that would've required workarounds in parts of the lending process reliant on government agencies.

Public policy experts debated the effect of rising rates on the mortgage market, the impact on homebuyers and ways that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could exit conservatorship at the National Mortgage News Digital Mortgage Conference.

The Federal Reserve Inspector General's report on the failure of Silicon Valley Bank found that officials at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco wanted to remove the CEO from its board before examiners downgraded SVB's supervisory ratings.

The indictment of Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is inconvenient for some Democratic priorities, but unlikely to impact a cannabis banking bill up for debate in the Senate Banking Committee.

A combination of economic and environmental factors are sending property and flood coverage premiums soaring, which can make costs insurmountable for some.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Lisa Cook said artificial intelligence holds great promise for the economy, but stressed the importance of human choice in decision making, both financial and otherwise.

The threat of instability from that group is immaterial in comparison to the existential risk created by the U.S. Treasury, argues the chairman of Whalen Global Advisors.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed major changes to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, including eliminating all medical debt from credit reports. But banks and financial firms said the plan would upend 50 years of how courts have interpreted the law.

The proposal by a regulator overseeing government-related loan buyers could cut companies with small infractions off from a key source of business, groups say.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said today's high mortgage rates are dissuading some would-be sellers from putting their homes on the market, further limiting lending opportunities in an environment already constrained by low inventory

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy, continued to say that the Basel III rulemaking might have violated the Administrative Procedures Act

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued guidance on the use of artificial intelligence in credit underwriting, saying that creditors are relying too heavily on a CFPB checklist and sample forms when they should provide specificity to explain why a consumer is denied credit.

The impact on things like servicing rights would raise costs even for lenders that aren't banks, according to Mortgage Bankers Association President and CEO Bob Broeksmit. Others disagree.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., pressed one witness to say that bank regulators' Basel III endgame proposal, which would raise capital significantly for the largest banks, may have violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

A joint letter from the banking and financial trade groups is the latest effort by the industry and its representatives in Washington to push back against the Basel III capital proposals, which would raise capital significantly for the largest banks.

Any comprehensive overhaul of the Federal Home Loan Bank System will have to navigate a dense thicket of countervailing regulatory and stakeholder priorities.

The head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau defended the agency and its mortgage rules in particular on the 15th anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers.