Regulatory reform

There is bipartisan agreement in the Senate that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are "too big to fail," but some lawmakers are skeptical that a SIFI designation is appropriate.

The House passed a spending bill amendment aimed at providing further clarity to banks looking to provide services to cannabis businesses.

While a bill to require firms to identify their owners has gained bipartisan support, some small companies argue it is burdensome and would subject them to harsh penalties.

In her first four and a half months, Kathy Kraninger met with lawmakers more than twice as often as her predecessor, but her schedule demonstrates willingness to meet with industry and policy stakeholders from various camps.

The new regulation mandated by Congress expands eligibility for a simplified reporting form to financial institutions with $5 billion of assets.

There are clear actions that regulators at the CFPB, SEC and FHFA can take to help attract investors into the housing market, argues former FHFA Director Ed DeMarco.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency has appeared willing to take its own steps to reform Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, but legislation would be necessary to create an explicit guarantee of the mortgage system.

Stress tests have come a long way since first unveiled to shore up confidence in banks. But some critics fear that proposals to make the system more efficient would compromise its safety.

The head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. previously had said regulators were weighing numerous options for addressing criticism of their 2018 proposal.

Director Mark Calabria urged lawmakers to grant the agency chartering authority similar to that of bank regulators to boost competition in the mortgage market.