Kate Berry

If proposed mortgage rules are too rigid, banks will have little choice but to restrict lending. But if they are ill-defined or too loose, banks say they face higher compliance costs and increased risk of litigation.

The Merrill Lynch litigation is settled, but an ongoing tiff with Fannie Mae means elevated repurchase claims could continue for several more quarters.

Citi, Wells and JPMorgan Chase have all taken substantial chargeoffs in response to new OCC guidance on treatment of home-equity loans, and several other large and regional banks are likely to do the same.

Despite assurances from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that confidential information is protected, any discussions with lawyers about lending policies and procedures could wind up haunting lenders at exam time.

Many lenders aren't waiting around for regulators to define what a qualified mortgage is and instead are making their own rules.

Angst over the scope enforcement was palpable at an Ellie Mae conference as mortgage lenders try to avoid the types of hefty fines the agency has already levied on credit card companies.

The Securities and Exchange Commission agreed to accept the settlement and forego any appeals after a California judge effectively gutted the government's case.

The U.S. Small Business Administration has chosen Wells Fargo (WFC) as the servicing agent for its 503/504 loan program, replacing Bank of New York Mellon (BK), which had the job for the past 20 years.

Two former executives at Washington Mutual, who paid fines to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. last year for the thrift's "reckless" lending practices, plot their next move.

The inspector general for the FHFA found no evidence that Freddie Mac discouraged homeowners from refinancing their mortgages to profit from an exotic form of interest rate hedging.

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed three new laws that are part of the Homeowner Bill of Rights aimed at increasing prosecutions for mortgage-related crimes.

The National Fair Housing Alliance says Bank of America has failed to maintain foreclosed properties in minority neighborhoods. It lodged similar complaints against Wells Fargo and U.S. Bancorp earlier this year.

San Diego has joined a growing list of major cities requiring banks to provide detailed data to show that they are adequately serving low- and moderate-income consumers.

The Alabama lender says it intends to lower fees and relax repayment terms in response to customer feedback, not criticism from consumer groups.

Though banks have always measured customer satisfaction, there is a greater focus now on understanding exactly what drives the customer experience and how it can help the bottom line.

No one group dominates the panel, which includes bank and credit union executives, consumer advocates and community development officials.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will not include a 20% down payment requirement for low-risk loans in its pending mortgage proposal, nor does it seek to covertly rewrite Dodd-Frank, Director Richard Cordray told Senate Banking.

The Santa Rosa, Calif., thrift is the latest lender to be targeted by the Justice Department for allegedly discriminating against minorities.

Without naming names, CFO Tim Sloan threw cold water on the idea that the San Francisco bank would acquire the credit card giant.

Astoria Financial has already originated more multi-family and commercial real estate loans this year than all of last year, and its CEO said total loans to that sector will top $1.5 billion.