The latest fine from regulators is expected to be leveled against the bank as early as Friday. But it's far from the only penalty it has paid in recent years, and more may be on the way.
The dominant player in manufactured housing lauded the Trump administration's review of construction standards, but other commenters worry the plan will undermine housing quality.
HUD Secretary Ben Carson told lawmakers that overly rigid False Claims Act enforcement had forced lenders to suffer financially for what were just minor errors, but that lenders' fears of being sued were dissipating.
As policymakers take another crack at housing finance reform, federal leaders and the housing lobby are once again perpetuating the false notion that ending government guarantees would cause the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage to vanish.
Recent developments in the Federal Housing Administration's Home Equity Conversion Mortgage program are making it easier for lenders to originate reverse mortgages to borrowers who want to buy a new-construction home.
The agency should resist renewed calls to lower insurance premiums. Doing so would increase demand and raise home prices, negating any proposed benefits.
The new budget proposal projects a very profitable Federal Housing Administration in fiscal year 2019, but there are no indications the FHA will reduce its mortgage insurance premiums anytime soon.
Weak profits and the threat of false claims charges are keeping banks out of the market for loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Senate Banking Committee had approved Powell already in December, but a revote was necessary after the Senate adjourned for the year without finalizing his confirmation.
