Politics

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

New app-based programs resemble payday loans, often trapping users in a pattern of fee-based transactions while demanding "tips" that cost some consumers hundreds of dollars per year.

What was once a bipartisan and broadly popular housing bill has been weighed down with a pair of provisions that banks can't support. Even with those headwinds, the bill is more likely than not to pass, but not without drawn-out negotiations between the House and Senate.

Federal Reserve Gov. Michael Barr said in a speech Tuesday afternoon that he wants to see a durable and reliable reduction in consumer price inflation before he considers cutting the central bank's interest rates.

Republican Sen. Josh Hawley repeated his long-standing criticism of Fair Isaac Corp. in a letter noting the detrimental impact of its prices on home buyers.

Speaking at the Digital Asset Summit, the Comptroller of the Currency argued that part of his goal in shifting the agency's posture toward the crypto industry is to allow smaller financial institutions to engage in novel technologies, which he said will keep banks relevant.

In a digital world, paper checks are an expensive, inefficient and unsecured vestige of the past. Bankers, regulators and policymakers need to come together around a strategy to eliminate their role in the U.S. financial system.

A federal judge said Friday that the Trump Organization will have three months to collect new evidence and refile its complaint. It alleges that Capital One illegally closed hundreds of its accounts following the Jan. 6, 2021, attacks on the U.S. Capitol.

The new executive order could add lender competition for self-employed borrowers, potentially via a small loan carveout and one for portfolio products.

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran said it is too early to judge how U.S. involvement in the war with Iran will affect inflation and monetary policy.

The Trump administration hasn't formally charged Swalwell, Adam Schiff or Lisa Cook, while a federal court tossed a prosecution against Letitia James.

Early industry reaction to the Federal Reserve's Basel III proposals points to potential capital relief for banks, though stakeholders say the complexity of the changes makes their overall impact unclear.