Regulatory relief

A late addition to regulatory relief legislation would direct the Federal Housing Finance Agency to review credit-scoring alternatives, but some say the provision is redundant.

Former Rep. Barney Frank rejected concerns voiced by other Democrats that a Senate bill rolling back some provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act will fuel another financial crisis.

Lawmakers on Tuesday continued debating a thicket of proposed additions to a crucial regulatory relief bill on their way to a final vote likely to occur as early as midweek.

A provision in the Senate's regulatory relief bill that would give manufactured housing retailers more leeway to make financing recommendations has consumer advocates concerned about potential lending abuses, while the industry contends it simply levels the playing field with real estate agents and homebuilders.

The Senate legislation could be crucial for three moderate Democrats backing the bill who are up for re-election this fall, although the package has divided the party more broadly.

Unable to come to an agreement on which and how many amendments will be offered to a Dodd-Frank regulatory relief bill, the Senate will have to return next week before voting on the legislation.

The latest version of a bill to give regulatory relief to small institutions includes language designed to ensure that large foreign bank holding companies do not also see their supervision eased.

More than 50 amendments had been filed by Wednesday afternoon to be considered as part of a Senate regulatory relief bill, but it was unclear which proposed changes if any have the approval of the legislation's key sponsors.

The Dodd-Frank Act consolidated massive authority under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, but acting Director Mick Mulvaney wants the bureau to take a back seat to states and other federal regulators.

On the eve of a crucial Senate vote to roll back parts of the Dodd-Frank Act, the divide between progressive and moderate Democrats on regulatory relief has never been starker.

There's been a legislative bottleneck since the the crisis-era law went into effect, but Congress has moved forward on a handful of significant changes.

Numerous regional banks stand to benefit from a provision that narrows the scope of institutions defined as "systemically important" under the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Senate is poised to pass the most substantial bank regulatory relief since the crisis, but any disruption of the post-crisis regime is still eclipsed by how much the bill enshrines Dodd-Frank.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., filed a motion on the Senate floor Thursday setting up a potential vote next week on the bipartisan regulatory relief package.

The legislation carves out protections for smaller banks to offer abusive loans to borrowers under the "qualified mortgage" standard, as long as they hold those loans in portfolio.

Democrats used a hearing with Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lay the groundwork for an intraparty debate over the merits of the Senate’s regulatory relief bill.

The interim head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said the agency may allow prudential regulators to take the lead on more supervisory matters to cut down on duplication.

“Why we think we know better or how to protect consumers in your state surprises me,” acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney told a group of state attorneys general. “I don’t think we’ll being do much of that anymore.”

Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo said he is hopeful that a bipartisan deal to roll back certain Dodd-Frank Act regulations will soon have a vote on the Senate floor.

Acting CFPB Director Mick Mulvaney dismissed concerns by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., about his leadership of the consumer agency while supporting a lighter regulatory touch for credit unions.