Federal Home Loan banks aren't doing enough to address the shortage of affordable housing in the U.S., FHFA Director Sandra Thompson says. Some of their members are instead using advances to manage liquidity and perhaps engaging in crypto-related and other activities that put the Deposit Insurance Fund at risk, she says.

If he really wants to win reelection in 2024, President Biden and his administration should leave the mortgage industry in peace and find somebody else to torment, the Chairman of Whalen Global Advisors writes.

The Federal Home Loan Banks system's primary affordable housing program has not had an in-depth review in more than 12 years, according to a new inspector general report.

Michael Strauss and his previous lending company still face four federal lawsuits from creditors and laid off workers seeking backpay.

Real estate players were under fire last month for unsolicited calls, including Keller Williams which agreed to pay a $40 million settlement over alleged violations.

The regulator said it is a violation of anti-kickback rules to present lender results based on their payment to the platform rather than criteria that serves the potential borrower.

Virginia and Montana both introduced new bills in the past month, potentially joining several other states in enacting policies that would increase business opportunities for lenders.

The threshold for the obligation has been lowered to 25 closed-end mortgage loans originated in each of the two preceding calendar years, according to a bulletin published on the OCC's website.

Townstone Financial in Chicago had been accused of discriminating against certain consumers by trying to discourage them from applying for home loans. However, a judge ruled that federal law protects only actual applicants.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.,  Roger Marshall,  R-Kan., and John Kennedy, R-La., asked Silvergate if the bank knew about FTX's alleged misuse of customer funds.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's data-access rule could create an uneven playing field because banks and credit unions are examined by regulators but hundreds of nonbank fintechs are not.

During a hearing on racial bias in home valuation, the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau questions the Appraisal Foundation's "weird" regulatory structure.

Working appraisers say government efforts to curb discrimination are pressuring them to inflate values, putting banks and borrowers at risk.

Both Silvergate and Signature banks, two of the most active crypto counterparties in the banking sector, received advances from the quasi-governmental lenders to offset falling deposits.

Plaintiffs allege that the Plano, Texas-based lender failed to adhere to WARN requirements when it laid off employees "without cause" or notice in June.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau expects mortgage servicers to offer streamlined loss mitigation options to borrowers experiencing financial hardship — even if it's not related to COVID-19.

Greater scrutiny of nonsolicitation clauses and a higher burden for poaching lawsuits is expected, a handful of attorneys said.

Signature Bank of New York is pulling back from crypto deposits and has increased borrowings from the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York.

Three-quarters of bank financial officers said they would very likely turn to Federal Home Loan bank advances to boost falling reserve balances. The top priority was to meet liquidity requirements set in stress tests.

The Department of Justice said City National avoided offering home loans in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Los Angeles County from 2017 to 2020.