Mortgages

Wells Fargo is in negotiations to settle a U.S. probe into procurement of low-income housing tax credits as its top lawyer tries to clean up issues before handing off the chief executive officer role.

The launch of a combined securitization platform for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is meant to ease the transition to a new housing finance system. But questions remain about how the mortgage sphere will adapt to the single security.

There's been chatter about whether the government-sponsored enterprises should be considered systemically important. But supporters must consider that such a designation would put the Fed in charge of their supervision, a step that would do more harm than good.

Stress tests, capital buffers and liquidity levels are best ways to make financial system safe; HSBC plans to layoff “several hundred” from investment bank.

Readers weigh in on community development at BB&T-SunTrust, consider the role that branches play in bank marketing and debate the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

In a presentation Thursday, co-COO Gordon Smith expanded on Jamie Dimon's recent comments about frustrations in the mortgage market, was upbeat about branch profitability and discussed some of the bank's Chase Pay challenges.

Banks and credit unions “push back” against an FCC proposal to limit calls; Miami gets the next assistant the bank says is not intended to replace humans.

Many banks have already scaled back home lending or even left the business. With profit margins shrinking, inventories of homes at crisis levels and competition from nonbanks intensifying, that’s unlikely to change.

Readers weigh in on the role of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, consider personnel changes at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, debate the viability of public banks and more.

The FHFA director’s recent comments about whether the government-sponsored enterprises should be designated as SIFIs tees up a potentially significant element of the mortgage finance debate.