Biden Administration

President Biden's executive order on cryptocurrency assets and a central bank digital currency marks the beginning of the administration's efforts to integrate crypto technology into the financial regulatory apparatus. That process has important implications for banks in the near term and down the road.

President Biden is set to sign an executive order this week that will outline the U.S. government’s strategy for cryptocurrencies, according to several people familiar with the administration’s plans.

Lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee clashed over the stalled nominations of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell and four others Wednesday. It was a prelude to the fireworks that could occur Thursday when Powell is scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee.

President Biden’s four nominees to join the Commodity Futures Trading Commission told lawmakers that the main U.S. derivatives overseer should take on new responsibilities regulating cryptocurrencies.

New research shows that young Americans are finding it increasingly difficult to buy a home of their own. The co-author of a series of reports will delve into discoveries around the factors why.

Pat Toomey, the top Republican on the Senate Banking Committee said Congress should weigh an overhaul of the U.S. Federal Reserve Regional Bank system and consider consolidating regional banks that are “wandering” into issues such as climate change.

Sarah Bloom Raskin, reportedly the Biden administration's top candidate for vice chair of supervision, would toughen the Federal Reserve's stances on the role of banks in combating climate change, capital requirements, the Volcker Rule and other policy areas, experts say.

After Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chair Jelena McWilliams’ resignation, a Democrat on the board will temporarily run the agency. But it's still unclear who will call the shots over the long run and how policymaking will be affected by the FDIC's leftward shift.

The Trump-appointed head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Jelena McWilliams, said she plans to leave the agency in early February. The announcement comes weeks after Democratic appointees making up a majority of the board had threatened her leadership by acting on policy related to bank mergers without her consent.

Biden administration appointees moved quickly to highlight climate change risks and unwind Trump-era regulatory relief and housing finance measures. These regulators and lawmakers will have a seat at the table as the progressive shift in banking policy continues.

President Biden extended the pause on federal student loan repayments by another three months as the U.S. faces a fresh wave of COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant, removing a near-term threat to millions of Americans’ finances.

The Biden administration faces a growing backlash on social media for refusing to further extend a moratorium on student loan payments.

Sandra Thompson has won praise from homeownership advocates for suspending a fee imposed on borrowers that was meant to recoup Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's pandemic-related losses, among other actions she reversed. On Tuesday, President Biden said he will nominate her to be the permanent director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

The United States is threatening to curtail transactions into and out of Russia to discourage it from invading Ukraine. The standoff heightens existing friction between U.S. payments companies and Moscow, which could impose new restrictions on them in response to sanctions.

President Biden said he had accepted Saule Omarova’s request that her nomination be withdrawn to be head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She faced stiff opposition from banks and members of Congress over views that many saw as too extreme for a federal regulator.

The guessing game is over about President Biden’s pick for Federal Reserve chair, but several names are in the mix for three additional vacancies on the board, including vice chair for supervision.

Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Fed Chair Jerome Powell to be more aggressive in using their oversight of the financial system to combat risks associated with a warming planet. Recent recommendations from the Financial Stability Oversight Council do not go far enough, they said.

The home buying process has undergone significant changes. The pandemic has profoundly altered the mortgage lending market. The continuation of remote work, relocation out of key urban areas, a growing preference for online possibilities, and the deployment of artificial intelligence applications are only a few trends that are shaping the industry. Join Heidi Patalano, Editor-in-Chief of National Mortgage News and Beth O'Brien, Founder and CEO of CoreVest Finance as they discuss how lenders can stay competitive and meet the needs of home buyers in the fast evolving mortgage business.

Despite naming key leaders of the Federal Reserve this week, including renominating Chair Jerome Powell, the Biden administration delayed its pick for vice chair of supervision. Moving a nominee for the post later through the divided Senate could prove difficult, analysts said.

Fearing government intrusion, financial institutions’ own clients rallied against the Biden administration plan for their account information to be shared with the IRS. Their involvement added weight to the industry’s opposition.