Politics

The Federal Reserve's capital guidance for S corporations is hindering some community development banks' access to the Treasury's $9 billion Emergency Capital Investment Program. The Fed has offered exemptions in the past, so why isn't it doing so now?

Third-party originators could help government-related agencies surmount some of the hurdles facing borrowers if they had more access to lending programs, said Linda McCoy, president of an industry trade group.

Raising rates and running down the balance sheet “will bring down inflation over time," she said.

In a Senate Banking Committee hearing on the economy, Republicans reiterated their demand for more transparency from Sarah Bloom Raskin, President Biden's pick to serve as vice chairman for supervision at the Federal Reserve.

Democrats still want to move President Biden’s five Federal Reserve picks together through the full Senate. But the chamber’s rules will make that tough to accomplish unless Sarah Bloom Raskin can come to terms with GOP lawmakers opposed to her nomination.

A federal judge last week upheld "valid when made" rules that support such arrangements. But analysts say an appeals fight is likely, and new leadership at the OCC and FDIC could change the agencies' view of interest rate exportation across state lines.

Danny Yen, owner of Real Estate Educational Services, received a permanent ban on conducting future related training and agreed to testify in any legal proceedings against originators he assisted.

The Second Circuit decision in Naimoli v. Ocwen Loan Servicing takes away contract rights that financial institutions rely on for market stability, write litigators Chucta and Swanson.

Democrats cited the increasing share of home purchases by Wall Street firms while Republicans pointed to rising conforming loan limits and other measures by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs committee hearing.

"In many cases, these are fees where there's not even a service provided or where the bank or financial institution doesn't even do any work,” Rohit Chopra of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday in public remarks.

The mention echoes previous recommendations to give the Federal Housing Finance Agency more authority over non-depositories that service loans sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Congress waited too long to address the out-of-control housing market, leading to a crisis in 2008. Now, with home prices soaring and the government-sponsored enterprises' portfolios at record levels, lawmakers are in danger of repeating that mistake.

This regulatory development is both good news and bad news, depending upon where you happen to sit in the mortgage process.

The White House's pick for vice chair for supervision, Sarah Bloom Raskin, took the brunt of criticism from Republicans on Thursday. But it seemed to do little to sow doubt among the Senate Banking Committee's moderate Democrats about Raskin or fellow nominees Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson.

Republicans have knocked Sarah Bloom Raskin as too liberal on climate change and Lisa Cook as underqualified ahead of a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday. Meanwhile, a Democratic senator's illness threatens to stall nomination votes in the full chamber.

Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin praised all five of President Biden's nominees for the Federal Reserve, an important signal for their confirmations in the 50-50 Senate.

Three housing finance organizations asked for an interactive process similar to that used previously for originations and said they preferred less reliance on life-of-loan indemnification as a remedy.

In an open letter to Sandra L. Thompson, President Biden’s nominee for Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, two longtime advocates of the Federal Home Loan banks suggest a new path forward.

The Federal Reserve, FDIC, OCC and CFPB — increasingly under the leadership of Democratic appointees — are gearing up to regulate cryptocurrency, modernize the Community Reinvestment Act and give consumers more control of their personal data. Here's a look at the policy changes they're mulling.

Rohit Chopra, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, described many charges by banks, credit unions and fintechs as "junk fees" and said they often exceed the cost of providing the service. Several trade groups called Chopra's claims "distorted and misleading."