Politics

Changes affecting market pricing and court actions with game-changing potential were among the leading policy developments in housing finance last year.

Federal regulators will look to finalize capital rules for banks with at least $100 billion of assets. Here's what to look for as the contentious regulations move through the rulemaking process.

The American Bankers Association requested that President Joe Biden tell Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to study the impact of more robust bank regulation.

The Bank Term Funding Program, set up in response to this spring's run of bank failures, is poised to close down in March. With the Federal Reserve now forecasting rate cuts next year, the bar for renewing the facility's authorization could be a bit higher.

A proposed reduction in the amount of overall discretionary spending amounts would hamper both agencies' ability to fulfill their affordable-homeownership missions, the consortium of housing industry advocates said.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is appealing a lower court ruling that the agency exceeded its authority in bringing an anti-discrimination enforcement action against a Chicago mortgage lender after he made disparaging remarks about Blacks and Hispanics.

The Federal Open Market Committee meets Dec. 12 and 13 and in addition to their statement, they will issue a Summary of Economic Projections.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and other Senate Democrats urged the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to rescind regulations or guidance that contradict the way Dodd-Frank says the OCC should deal with state consumer protection rules.

From federal agencies to the states, here's what some of the top housing policy themes could be in the coming election year, according to experts.

Trigger leads may take a back seat to other priorities near term but growing support in both chambers for these types of bills suggests the issue has momentum.

Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and John Kennedy, R-La., have reintroduced their ILC bill that would subject companies that hold an ILC charter to similar oversight as traditional banks, while measures to cap interest rates and ban 'trigger leads' have also been introduced.

Members of the Financial Stability Oversight Council Thursday warned of increasing financial risks posed by artificial intelligence in its annual report, noting AI's potential to amplify cyber threats, induce herd behavior and even compromise bank safety and soundness.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., also brought up concerns with synthetic risk transfers and so-called shadow banks, which he said are shifting risk from outside the banking system into private credit markets.

The chairman of Whalen Global Advisors outlines the policy agenda of home lenders' dreams for the year ahead.

While mortgage assumptions are on the rise, so too are complaints leveled against mortgage servicers for how they handle the loans. A common refrain is that the companies are moving too slowly.

The Treasury Department's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund has introduced significant updates to the CDFI certification application, aiming to simplify the process and establish clearer standards for responsible lending and community development.

A provision to standardize and clarify banks' operational risk obligations — which opponents say is excessively costly and may not be effective — is emerging as the focal point of the public debate on the broader rule. It may also be the key to taking the rule over the finish line.

The fireworks that traditionally accompany big bank CEOs' appearances in Congress were absent Wednesday, but instead executives pushed their opposition to the Basel III capital rules and its impact on the economy. 

Rep. Patrick McHenry, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, says he won't seek reelection next year. He is known for collaboration with Democrats on stablecoin and other issues.

But the average cost for a mobile home is still more than $300,000 lower than a permanent construction.