Trump administration

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and four other Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee are insisting on a recorded vote by the full Senate for the nomination of Brian Montgomery as Federal Housing Administration commissioner.

A federal judge appeared to be leaning toward siding with President Trump during oral arguments Friday in a case in which Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Deputy Director Leandra English is challenging the president's ability to appoint Mick Mulvaney as acting director.

Earlier versions of the bill would have caused bigger changes in how Americans finance home purchases, higher education and retirement. Still, the final legislation will have important effects on borrowing and saving decisions.

The Obama administration had tried to ease restrictions on the Federal Housing Administration's condominium program, but the agency under President Trump is seen as moving more aggressively.

The ban on financing properties encumbered by heating and cooling assessments will go into effect in 20 days, according to the Federal Housing Administration.

In a letter to President Trump, 44 Democratic senators said the White House's appointment of Mick Mulvaney as interim director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau "jeopardizes the agency’s independence and effectiveness."

Leadership at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to be resolved quickly after a federal court Monday assigned a judge appointed by President Trump to resolve a lawsuit over who will become the agency's acting director.

President Trump has tapped Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney as interim head of the CFPB. He has taken tough stances on the CFPB, its payday lending rule, housing finance reform and other issues pending before the agency.

CFPB Deputy Director Leandra English filed a lawsuit late Sunday against the Trump administration challenging OMB Director Mick Mulvaney's appointment. The bureau's general counsel has sided with President Trump, however.

CFPB Director Richard Cordray abruptly announced Friday that he would leave at the end of the day, giving the reins of the agency to a new deputy director.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen announced Monday that she intends to step down from the Board of Governors after her successor is sworn in when her term expires early next year, ending any speculation that she may stay on.

It’s a seat the Trump administration has long wanted vacated, and now it gets a chance to fill it — and change the direction of an agency that’s been a thorn in Republicans’ side. Following are the top candidates.

During the past year, many have hoped for action from Washington that would alleviate regulatory burden and stem the rapid pace of consolidation. But in the current political environment, that appears increasingly unlikely.

Trump officials have made clear their intent to reexamine how Federal Housing Administration lenders are cited under the False Claims Act, but whether that means lenders can rest easier is an open question.

The HUD secretary’s comment that such use of the False Claims Act was “ridiculous” may delight the mortgage industry but does not bode well for taxpayers or the federal government’s future fraud enforcement efforts.

Many industry observers believe Federal Reserve Board Janet Yellen will retire from the central bank once her term as chair expires in February. But there are reasons she might stay.

Growth in loans with higher debt-to-income ratios is reviving focus on a regulatory exemption for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and other federal agencies that back mortgages.

Fed Gov. Jerome Powell, who was first nominated to the central bank by former President Obama, is widely seen as a continuity choice.

With little fanfare, President Trump officially nixed the rule prohibiting financial firms from including mandatory arbitration clauses.

CFPB Director Richard Cordray sent a letter to President Trump Monday asking him to veto a Republican resolution to nullify the bureau's arbitration rule.