Kate Berry has covered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for American Banker since 2016. She joined the publication in 2006 covering mortgage lending and the financial crisis. Berry also has covered big banks including Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo. She has won five awards from the Society of American Business Writers and Editors, and has worked at several news organizations including the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles Business Journal and the Associated Press. Berry began her career as a clerk at the New York Times.
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A 2019 decision by Amy Coney Barrett, then a 7th Circuit judge, cited an earlier Supreme Court ruling suggesting a high bar for plaintiffs to claim harm. But other jurists have favored a less onerous standard.
By Kate BerryOctober 27 -
The rulemaking is expected to draw enormous interest from both banks and third-party fintech providers.
By Kate BerryOctober 22 -
The agency’s consolidation of supervision and enforcement policy into one office could compromise the independence of those deciding when to investigate alleged wrongdoing by banks and others, critics of the move say.
By Kate BerryOctober 22 -
The agency confirmed that loans backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can continue avoiding debt-to-income limits as the bureau completes a revamp of the Qualified Mortgage standard.
By Kate BerryOctober 20 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's overhaul of its Qualified Mortgage standard is alarming free-market advocates who say it will precipitate a return to easy credit and higher defaults and could disproportionately harm minorities.
By Kate BerryOctober 8 -
Kathy Kraninger’s job status would be in question if Joe Biden wins the White House. If the president is reelected, she may continue balancing a deregulatory agenda with her unexpectedly tough stance on enforcement.
By Kate BerryOctober 2 -
The bureau released a five-year review of the so-called TRID regulation that found consumers benefited from being able to compare mortgage terms and costs, but the price tag for the industry was roughly $146 per loan.
By Kate BerryOctober 1 -
The bank contends that the misconduct wasn't widespread, but a whistleblower letter unearthed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau points to Chicago as a hotbed of customer abuse. "We are becoming a 'predatory' financial institution," the 2010 letter said.
By Kevin WackOctober 1 -
Through Operation Corrupt Collector, the bureau is coordinating with over 50 other state and federal agencies to target firms for wrongdoing and inform consumers of their rights
By Kate BerrySeptember 29 -
The agency’s report on mortgage data submitted by lenders identified persistent disparities between white borrowers and minorities in denial rates and pricing. Some observers say the bureau should have been more explicit as the nation wrestles with systemic racism.
By Kate BerrySeptember 24 -
The future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the Fed’s supervisory regime for the biggest financial institutions, reform of the Community Reinvestment Act and a host of other industry-related issues are on the ballot this November.
By Hannah LangSeptember 17 -
The agency finally detailed how it may implement congressional requirements to collect information on credit to small businesses. Lenders below certain asset thresholds and that make few business loans could be off the hook.
By Kate BerrySeptember 15 -
The bureau will detail how it will implement a Dodd-Frank Act provision requiring the agency to collect information on small-business lending in order to identify discrimination.
By Kate BerrySeptember 14 -
The financial industry has praised the measured approach taken in a pending regulation on permitted communications with consumers. But two recent complaints by the bureau against debt collectors reflect a potentially aggressive enforcement stance.
By Kate BerrySeptember 11 -
The agency’s plan to extend the "qualified mortgage" stamp of approval to more loans could help lenders that rely on alternative data and cushion the blow of other QM changes for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
By Kate BerrySeptember 2 -
The California plan to create a new, tougher state regulatory agency is at the finish line after lawmakers agreed to key exemptions for banks while maintaining strong enforcement measures for payday lenders and other firms.
By Kate BerryAugust 31 -
The bank has agreed to pay $97 million in customer restitution and a $25 million fine to settle allegations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that it deceptively charged overdraft fees for certain ATM and debit card transactions.
By Kate BerryAugust 20 -
Lenders initially won't be able to pass on the cost of the Federal Housing Finance Agency's "adverse market fee" to borrowers whose rates on GSE-backed mortgages and refinances are already locked in.
By Kate BerryAugust 20 -
The CFPB is giving stakeholders until Dec. 1 to file comments on a potential overhaul to its rules related to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, which prohibits discrimination in credit and lending decisions.
By Kate BerryAugust 19 -
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the proposal would increase access to credit, but consumer groups argue that it will encourage lenders to make high-cost loans while protecting them from legal liability.
By Kate BerryAugust 19




















