Congress should pass legislation that would allow Home Loan banks to backstop deposits by local governments at commercial banks and lower the cost of bond financing, two mayors argue. ... Read full article
The agency flagged faulty risk management and other issues at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines and Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco in exams conducted last year. ... Read full article
Groups representing community banks and credit unions generally support the new percentage-based goals set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. ... Read full article
The Home Loan bank will make zero-interest loans, match charitable donations that members make to nonprofits and small businesses, and provide additional funding for economic development grants. ... Read full article
The policy move will allow small institutions participating in the Paycheck Protection Program to pledge business loans as collateral to obtain advances. ... Read full article
A handful of banks keep trying to make the customer-Alexa connection happen; banks are more worried about payments firms than other types of fintechs; how financial institutions are coping with COVID-19; and more from this week’s most-read stories. ... Read full article
An effort by the Federal Housing Finance Agency to examine membership rules for the Federal Home Loan Bank System is reigniting an argument over whether to allow more nonbanks in or impose tougher barriers. ... Read full article
The agency plans to conduct a review of how it regulates the 11 Federal Home Loan banks amid concerns that some companies are inappropriately seeking a back door into the Home Loan Bank System. ... Read full article
As required by last year's reg relief law, the agency is planning to raise the asset threshold for organizations conducting a stress test from $10 billion to $250 billion. ... Read full article
Wider net interest margins compared to a year earlier helped make up for a slight decline in loan balances, as nearly two-thirds of banks reported higher profits in the first quarter. ... Read full article
Readers weigh in on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's payday rule, consider the gender wage gap in banking, debate restrictions to membership at the Federal Home Loan banks and more. ... Read full article
Policymakers should not let mortgage REITs, hedge funds and other firms gain membership through captive insurance companies. ... Read full article
An effort to increase awareness of the transition to a new benchmark rate, and nudge banks to start preparing, is expected to intensify in 2019. ... Read full article
Under the Federal Housing Finance Agency's plan, small Home Loan banks would face a new housing benchmark and a volume threshold for meeting the goals would be eliminated. ... Read full article
A former Federal Home Loan bank president argues that the system should limit its exposure to risky nonbanks. ... Read full article
A bill to allow captive insurance companies to be reinstated as members of the Federal Home Loan Bank System appears to be dividing the FHLB community. ... Read full article
A mortgage program created by a 2015 partnership between the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago and Ginnie Mae has securitized over $1 billion in government-backed mortgages, the partnership announced. ... Read full article
The Federal Home Loan banks could "design and implement" their own system for deciding how to allocate resources for affordable housing initiatives under the proposal by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. ... Read full article
Three senators have unveiled a bill that would allow captive insurance companies to regain full membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank System. ... Read full article
Federal Home Loan banks have significantly increased their lending to large financial institutions in the post-crisis years, but it’s doubtful this activity will create undue systemic stress because it has displaced other, riskier forms of bank funding. ... Read full article
