Regulatory reform

The Trump administration's plan to end the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac marked its first effort to solve a problem left over from the financial crisis, but ultimately raised more questions than it answered.

Instead of shrinking the GSEs, the housing regulator is letting them expand into a host of new products and programs.

Five of the year’s biggest deals by value have been announced in the last two months, including some that involve regional banks that have been champing at the M&A bit.

Meet the new housing finance reform plan, same as the old ones. While that gives it legs, it also presents big challenges.

A senior Treasury department official said it's an "adapt or die" situation for regulators and financial firms in the midst of a growing fintech space.

The plan would end the GSE conservatorships and create an explicit federal guarantee, but it's unclear if even other parts of the Trump administration support it.

The acting agency chief defended the “zero tolerance” policy while praising the permanent CFPB nominee suspected of having been involved in implementing it.

Courts have validated the legal theory behind punishing lenders for unintentional discrimination, but the Trump administration has shown interest in revising the Obama-era policy.

The Community Reinvestment Act needs to be updated, but in doing so Congress should remember why the law was created in the first place, argues Rep. Gregory Meeks.

In her first speech as chairman, Jelena McWilliams signaled a focus on reviewing old policies, speeding up decisions on new bank applications and helping banks navigate marijuana laws.

The groups applauded a proposal to establish minimum GSE capital requirements, but called for more immediate steps to release the companies from conservatorship.

Risk management and technology systems at the Federal Housing Administration lag decades behind Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and desperately need to be revamped, according to a top official at HUD.

The Democratic leader in the House raised questions about Kathy Kraninger's "qualifications to lead such an important agency."

A proposal to revise parts of the Dodd-Frank Act ban on proprietary trading would make it easier for banks to conduct risky trades.

The central bank's rule-writing workload is expected to remain busy for the foreseeable future, thanks in large part to enactment of the recent regulatory relief bill.

The new guidelines are a prelude to a much larger effort by regulators to modernize implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act.

No plan will be implemented as long as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac remain in conservatorship, but a capital framework for the companies could still have a substantive impact.

The legislation unveiled this week left out a requirement — included in an earlier version — for new companies to report their true owners.

Security Group was fined $5 million for abusive collection tactics; the Dutch payments company is now valued at nearly $16 billion.

In his inaugural hearing as comptroller of the currency, Joseph Otting defended his decision not to publicly rebuke banks for Wells Fargo-like problems.