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New questions about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's guarantee by experts who saw conservatorship start points to tensions in a stalled secondary offering.

The 30-year fixed mortgage has increased by 40 basis points since February, while the 15-year is 14 basis points lower than a year ago, Freddie Mac reported.

Affordability improved in February as rates dipped below 6%, but March's climb to 6.43% signals tougher months ahead. Lenders should act now on pockets of opportunity before rising rates erode recent gains.

VALT, a digital-oriented small-business lender founded by U.S. Bank veteran Matt Gediman, received approval for its denovo charter application from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency 120 days after its application, clearing a key regulatory hurdle at a time when regulators are encouraging the formation of more startup banks.

The bank is pushing wealth managers to use artificial intelligence embedded in Salesforce and Zoom to plan, summarize and follow up on client meetings.

The systemic risks posed by stablecoins on public blockchains go further than deposit flight and market dislocation — there's also technology risk. But Noelle Acheson argues that these should be incorporated into guardrails rather than used to stop progress.

Diligence Capital Management's proposals and board nominations for the beleaguered Eagle Bancorp won't be put before shareholders. But the activist investor isn't giving up the fight.

A recent executive order encouraging changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Ability-To-Repay and Qualified Mortgage rules are adding to a packed agenda at a time when the agency has lost a third of its staff.

Some lenders and condo market stakeholders are raising concerns that new GSE rules ending limited reviews and tightening reserve requirements could raise costs.

Bank of Montreal has introduced a tokenized cash and deposit platform, while the London-based Monument is partnering with the Midnight Foundation's distributed ledger. Also, Starling Bank's AI play, stablecoins gain ground in APAC and Africa and more in the American Banker global payments and fintech roundup.

In a new legislative package offered Wednesday, House lawmakers halved the deposit insurance limit offered in earlier deposit insurance reform bills coming from the Senate.

Draft legislative language meant to break an impasse on stablecoin yield circulating among stakeholders includes a lengthy list of exceptions to a ban on rewards for stablecoin holdings, making it unlikely to satisfy banks as negotiations continue.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council Wednesday published a proposed guidance focused on designating activities rather than individual firms for heightened prudential standards, making it more difficult for the council to designate firms going forward.

The Salt Lake City-based regional bank plans to grow its multifamily lending business by acquiring the agency lending business of a commercial real estate investment group. If the deal is approved, Zions would join a short list of banks that can underwrite and close multifamily loans on behalf of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

2025 was Revolut's fifth consecutive year of net profitability. This year, the neobank has its sights set on expanding in the U.S., a key pillar of its global footprint.