Steven Sloan

WASHINGTON — The Federal Home Loan banks have always had an uneasy relationship with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but the fate of the government-sponsored enterprises are more entwined than ever as Congress considers the future of housing finance.

WASHINGTON — As the Federal Reserve Board moves ahead with plans to end its purchases of debt and mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, their regulator expressed confidence Thursday that private investors would fill the void.

More than two years after slashing the discount rate to make sure banks had access to liquidity, the Federal Reserve Board said it will begin charging more for discount window loans beginning Friday.

Having successfully ushered Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke's troubled confirmation through the Senate, the Obama administration must soon consider how best to fill other key financial regulatory positions.

Having successfully ushered Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke's troubled confirmation through the Senate, the Obama administration must soon consider how best to fill other key financial regulatory positions.

With the economy showing signs of recovery, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke gave more clues Wednesday to how the central bank will return to normal and made clear that financial institutions are central to his plans.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is investigating the Treasury Department's mortgage modification efforts to determine whether they are efficient and go far enough to aid troubled borrowers.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke is scheduled to appear Wednesday before the House Financial Services Committee to detail how the central bank is unwinding its liquidity facilities.

State and federal financial regulators issued a joint statement on Friday encouraging banks and thrifts to lend prudently to small businesses.

Losses related to commercial mortgage-backed securities pledged to the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility could exceed $500 million, the Government Accountability Office said Friday.

Former Citi CEO John Reed's Nixon-to-China moment; two CU trade groups, two flavors of disappointment on Obama's small biz plan; anti-money-laundering guru moves on ...

WASHINGTON — On the heels of a White House plan to spur small-business lending, federal bank and thrift regulators will issue guidance as early as today encouraging financial institutions to make prudent loans to small firms.

In a speech that amounted to a repudiation of congressional efforts to transform the regulatory system for banks, Fed Gov. Kevin Warsh suggested that lawmakers were preoccupied by side issues.

A day after the Obama administration punted on deciding the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the regulator of the government-sponsored enterprises told top lawmakers that conservatorship "cannot be a long-term solution."

WASHINGTON — Calling proposals that would require lenders to retain a portion of the loans they securitize "imprecise" and "indirect," Comptroller of the Currency John Dugan said Tuesday that policymakers should focus on tougher underwriting standards.

WASHINGTON — Though President Obama has pledged to divert billions into community banks willing to make small-business loans, many financial institutions say loans to smaller firms are falling into delinquency at a high rate.

Despite promises from the Obama administration to lay out its plans for the government-sponsored enterprises in the 2011 budget, the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac earned just one sentence in Monday's proposal.

Though President Obama last week said the spate of government programs helping banks was comparable to a "root canal," there can be little doubt that a key part of those efforts — the Federal Reserve Board's multiple liquidity facilities — was vital in staving off economic collapse.

Citi lobbyist going bald for a good cause; Sen. John McCain favors Obama's Glass-Steagall-like proposal; the OCC trying to increase its online presence with Facebook; and more.

Despite President Obama's urgent plea to pass regulatory reform legislation, its outlook remained muddy following the State of the Union address.