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Former Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting landed a post with Black Knight, which provides technology solutions to mortgage and real estate companies.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks had suggested states and municipalities should end "indefinite shutdowns" meant to combat the spread of the coronavirus. The Democratic lawmaker said he was going against the public health recommendations.

Members of both parties raised concerns that the requirements for participating in the Municipal Liquidity Facility and Main Street Lending Program are too restrictive to benefit smaller localities and certain midsize firms.

The funds will be used to support housing, job training and aid for small businesses in communities that have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

Several Senate Banking Committee members from both parties are facing tough reelection challenges in a year when control of the entire chamber — and the banking policy agenda — may be up for grabs.

Chairman Jerome Powell said the Federal Reserve's actions during the coronavirus outbreak have been aimed squarely at helping U.S. workers, not Wall Street or wealthier Americans. He also said Friday that a new lending program geared toward middle-market firms is "days away" from getting up and running.

Though he acknowledged working remotely has definite advantages, CEO Michael Corbat says “our goal is to get our employees back."

Even after the Fed eased some limitations in April to promote emergency lending, the bank has had to make some “tough choices” to heed the $1.95 trillion growth ceiling set by regulators in the aftermath of its phony-accounts scandal.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, would give small businesses greater flexibility in how they use the funds; not everyone's on board with Otting's signature achievement.

The congressional showdown over the pace of rulemaking during the pandemic is a hardening of older positions on banking policy ahead of the 2020 elections, observers said.