Regulatory reform

Credit risk transfers have emerged as more than just a method for mitigating taxpayer exposure. They could be a key component of comprehensive housing finance reform.

FHFA Director Mel Watt said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac cannot use alternative credit models until other issues are resolved first.

A bipartisan duo of lawmakers is set Tuesday to introduce a bill designed to increase homeownership opportunities for “credit invisible” consumers.

Regardless of whether Congress could act, proponents don’t seem to fully appreciate the potential unintended consequences of a future without Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Readers react to the CFPB’s final arbitration rule, a new potential hurdle for initial coin offerings, a housing finance reform proposal and more.

Regulators have near consensus that parts of the Volcker Rule need to change. But it's not clear whether the fixes being contemplated will have a big impact.

Financial regulation is too complex and needs to be retooled to improve access to credit, President Trump’s nominees to two top banking regulators told Capitol Hill on Thursday.

It is only a matter of time before bankers and policymakers realize that the concept keeping banks and non-financial entities apart no longer has any underlying support.

Regulators need a principles-based approach that seeks to position boards as watchtowers for their banks while not subjecting directors to overly burdensome restrictions.

Fed Vice Chair-nominee Randal Quarles will likely face questions about his support for small banks, while Comptroller-nominee Joseph Otting must face fallout from his predecessor.

Policymakers should differentiate between housing finance-related issues of real importance to the greater public interest, and those that concern only special interests.

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.

Federal regulators issued a proposal Tuesday that would increase the threshold at which commercial real estate transactions require an appraisal, a move that could give some lenders sizable relief.

House lawmakers including Jeb Hensarling are preparing to move on a series of targeted regulatory relief bills in an effort to give Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, more leeway when he tries to craft a relief measure.

Readers slam credit unions’ ever-inclusive membership criteria, weigh in on the OCC’s proposed fintech charter, encourage a rewrite of the CRA, and more.

CEO of River Region CU calls for Congress to put a stop to ‘tidal wave of new regulations’ that harm small credit unions and small banks.

The unexpected withdrawal of the administration's pick to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. triggered new uncertainty.

Some credit union advocates are praising the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for a move that exempts select institutions from certain reporting requirements, but other say the bureau must still do more.

Tucked away in the Treasury Department’s regulatory reform report released last month was a nascent effort to reform the way regulators implement the Community Reinvestment Act.

Readers this week highlighted the need for banks to upgrade payments systems, debated a small bank’s decision to ditch its legacy core vendor, lamented populist initiatives of the GSEs, and more.