Senate Banking Committee

Brian Montgomery seems on his way to being confirmed to lead the Federal Housing Administration. But once he gets there, he may find it difficult to be as innovative as he was during his first stint as commissioner — particularly when it comes to reducing FHA premiums.

The Senate Banking Committee voted to advance the nomination of Brian Montgomery to serve as commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, despite ongoing criticism from some Democrats that he is too close to the financial services industry.

It was a decidedly mixed bag for banks and credit unions in the Senate regulatory relief bill, with some institutions doing quite well while others were left out in the cold. Following is a guide to who was helped — and who lost out.

The regulatory relief bill would raise the SIFI threshold to $250 billion of assets and allow mortgages held in portfolio to be counted as "qualified," among other items, but it is far less sweeping than institutions had hoped.

Bank lobbyists are increasingly worried that the Senate Republicans may go further than the House in taxing large financial institutions as part of their reform push.

Momentum is building to replace the hard-target $50 billion asset systemic risk threshold for banks with an indicator test, but it remains unclear whether it will be enough to get Congress to act.

The Dodd-Frank Act’s $50 billion threshold for determining which banks are systemically important should be scrapped and replaced with an indicator test, according to the Office of Financial Research.

Day two of Equifax hearing focuses as much on business model as on the data breach; Fed chair again says she supports bank rules that are not "unduly burdensome."

Congress may soon try to limit the personal identifiable information that companies and the government can collect on consumers based on their reaction to the massive data breach at Equifax.

Wells Fargo CEO Tim Sloan took heat from Senate Democrats, who questioned his fitness for the job, the bank's use of mandatory arbitration clauses and even whether its charter should be revoked.

The week of Oct. 2 is shaping up to be a significant one for the financial services industry on Capitol Hill, as lawmakers grill the top executives of Equifax and Wells Fargo, as well as the top regulator of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Sen. Bob Corker has been a key voice in the housing finance reform debate. His departure at the end of next year puts a deadline of sorts on his efforts to unwind and replace Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

A year ago, then-Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf testified before two committees. It went so poorly Stumpf later resigned, and the bank is still struggling to repair the damage. Here's how Equifax CEO Richard Smith can avoid the same fate.

Democrats have strived to paint recent scandals at Wells Fargo and Equifax as prime examples of why a regulatory rule banning mandatory arbitration agreements should be upheld, but Republicans are not wavering in their campaign to overturn it.

Lawmakers like Sen. Tim Scott may feel differently about some elements in a Senate regulatory relief bill depending on whether CFPB Director Cordray is remaining in office until his term expires in July.

A mishmash of lawmakers from different parties and committees are wading into the aftermath of Equifax’s megabreach, with some using it to advance their policy agendas while others are calling for possible criminal prosecution.

The discounts that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac used to offer large originators for selling them bulk bundles of mortgages continue to haunt small lenders, who worry a new housing finance system could revive the practice.

House and Senate lawmakers formally filed resolutions on Thursday to repeal the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's arbitration rule, but there were early signs that enacting them may prove challenging.

Senate Banking Committee leaders are hoping to pass the bill quickly ahead of a looming deadline of Sept. 30 when the program expires.

The renewed debate on reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is focused on how small and midsize banks would be affected.