Regulatory relief

House Speaker Paul Ryan's decision not to seek re-election is another sign of the difficulties Republicans will likely face holding the chamber in November, heightening pressure to move a pending regulatory relief bill as soon as possible.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday asked for public input on the way it receives and processes complaints from consumers in what the agency said was a preliminary step toward making improvements.

Questions about the CFPB’s structure, high-profile enforcement actions and the acting director’s rift with Elizabeth Warren could dominate two days of hearings on Capitol Hill.

The acting head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said he is “pleasantly surprised” with most personnel but raised concerns about those who lean toward the regulatory philosophy of Sen. Elizabeth Warren.

As lawmakers consider reforms to the Dodd-Frank Act, fresh data shows a dramatic reduction in new items issued by the regulatory agencies.

The latest salvo by the acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — proposing in the agency's semiannual report that all CFPB rules be subject to congressional approval — left many observers stumped if not outraged.

As part of a larger regulatory relief effort, regulators have raised the dollar-amount threshold for commercial real estate transactions that require a formal appraisal.

Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney proposed dramatic curbs to his agency's power in a report Monday, including a recommendation that all CFPB rules must be approved by Congress.

The new request for information is the 10^th in the series that is part of acting Director Mick Mulvaney’s “call for evidence” to assess the CFPB’s overall effectiveness.

One purpose of the Senate bill was for small banks to rein in skyrocketing costs, but some bankers question whether the changes will save them money, and adapting to the reforms may even increase spending.