Ian McKendry

The top leaders of the National Credit Union Administration said Tuesday that they support an alternative option that would allow credit unions to merge some operations.

WASHINGTON — Despite dire predictions by banks and others that new mortgage rules by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would cut off access to credit, the industry is performing well two years after the regulations went into effect, according to the agency's top official.

National Credit Union Administration board members want to make it easier for CUs to lend their members.

CUs are ramping up their political efforts in the 2016 race for the White House, seizing a window of opportunity to ride a wave of anti-Wall Street rhetoric and driven by a vital need for regulatory relief.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt stopped short of calling for Treasury to recapitalize the government-sponsored enterprises, but said "something needs to be done" before they run out of capital.

The former Harvard law professor is a long-shot choice for the high court and would face fierce Republican opposition, but she could help rally the Democrats ahead of the presidential election.

Large banks are not buying preferential treatment by contributing to her campaign, Hillary Clinton insisted again on Thursday, attempting to rebut charges leveled at her by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen faced tough questions Wednesday by House Financial Services Committee lawmakers over the central bank's regulatory treatment of big banks.

Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen faced tough questions Wednesday by House Financial Services Committee lawmakers over the central bank's regulatory treatment of big banks.

The proposal is unlikely to pass, but does shed light on the administration's plans for housing finance reform, how it views cybersecurity progress and a proposed tax on bank liabilities that could become a reality if a Democrat takes the White House in November.