A federal judge in San Francisco ordered a temporary halt to reduction in force orders issued by the Office of Management and Budget during the government shutdown, while OMB Director Russell Vought has said he expects to lay off more than 10,000 federal workers.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's credit risk-transfers and some older private-label mortgage-backed securities have exposures to the Washington DC area.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced job openings for attorney-advisors to represent the agency in defensive and appellate litigation.

The regulator recently nixed Obama and Biden-era guidance for the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and apparently reduced staff.

A lapse in the National Flood Insurance Program because of the US government shutdown threatens to snarl home sales in the nation's riskiest floodplains and leave some homeowners without coverage in the middle of hurricane season.

The shutdown halted the release of employment data, typically a driver of mortgage rate activity, likely resulting in trackers moving in varying directions.

Some lenders have a workaround for the Federal Housing Administration's suspension of reverse mortgage endorsements but fewer options exist in other instances.

The mortgage regulatory environment is constantly in flux. Join Firstline Compliance's Josh Weinberg as he discusses how technology can address lender concerns.

Top Democratic lawmakers are asking the full appeals court to hear a case about the Trump administration's efforts to fire employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Senate confirmed former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board member Jonathan McKernan to serve as Treasury's under secretary for domestic finance on a party-line vote, installing a key industry ally in the Treasury Department.

Plaintiffs accusing the lender of steering them to higher rates cited comments LOs made under oath describing elements of the alleged scheme.

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., asked bank regulators to give banks the supervisory clearance to extend lines of credit and modify loan terms for federal employees furloughed after the government shut down last week.

Legal experts say the Supreme Court's decision not to immediately rule on a request to remove Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook from office suggests that, whatever the court's views on independent agencies may be, it views the central bank differently.

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.

In a case mentioned alongside one decided by the U.S. Supreme Court, by 2-1, the judges said they could not overturn a past decision on California's escrow law.

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.

As the government shutdown stalls key housing programs, lenders are shifting tactics to keep loans moving and preparing for bigger challenges ahead.

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

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