News Topic: Housing finance reform

In the continued absence of legislation, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s regulator announced work on a new capital framework. ... Read full article

President Trump has nominated Michael Bright, the current acting president and chief operating officer of Ginnie Mae, to head the agency full time. ... Read full article

The Treasury secretary has said that he doesn't see changes to the housing finance system happening this year, but he's hopeful something can be done after the elections. ... Read full article

The Treasury secretary said reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will come into focus more in 2019, when Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt’s term will end. ... Read full article

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. ... Read full article

Freddie Mac and Arch Capital are testing a new form of risk-sharing deal to boost investor appetite for low down payment mortgages. But the pilot is raising concerns about "charter creep" because it dictates private mortgage insurance decisions ... Read full article

President Trump is expected to announce as early as Thursday morning that he has selected Larry Kudlow, the host of CNBC's "The Kudlow Report," to replace Gary Cohn as head of the National Economic Council, according to multiple media ... Read full article

A clear government backstop for the mortgage market would benefit small banks and investors by ensuring a stable and liquid secondary market for securities. ... Read full article

As head of the National Economic Council, Gary Cohn played a key role in helping guide the Trump administration on its financial services policy, including on regulatory relief and housing finance reform. Institutions are anxiously watching to see who ... Read full article

The clock starts ticking this week on a busy agenda of financial services priorities on Capitol Hill, including passing reforms to Dodd-Frank, overhauling the housing finance system and confirming key regulators. ... Read full article

TD Bank's disastrous update to its mobile and online banking systems earned the most attention from readers this week, along with stories on whether banks should stop processing payments for gun sales and a look at AML requirements in light of Russian ... Read full article

The Supreme Court dealt hedge funds and other big investors a blow Tuesday by refusing to revive core parts of lawsuits that challenged the federal government’s capture of billions of dollars in profits generated by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. ... Read full article

As the debate over housing reform heats up, policymakers should give careful consideration to a plan that recapitalizes the government-sponsored enterprises. ... Read full article

Freddie Mac posted a fourth-quarter net loss of $3.3 billion and will request $312 million from the Treasury after recent tax reform legislation forced it to write down the value of deferred tax assets. ... Read full article

Despite a legislative push by some senators and other stakeholders to jump-start housing finance reform, efforts to form consensus over a bill once again are stuck in neutral. ... Read full article

Lenders should be encouraged to hold more credit risk in the mortgage market, rather than having it foisted on Fannie and Freddie. ... Read full article

Fallout from the Fed's blow to Wells Fargo; a call for calm in the rush to regulate cryptocurrencies; point-of-sale lending has its day; and more. ... Read full article

As conservator, FHFA Director Mel Watt has substantial leeway to remake the government-sponsored enterprises without congressional input. Here's one way he might do so. ... Read full article