Data are one of the big drivers behind the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s decision to re-open the public comment period on its ability-to-repay rule before making the new regulation final. The Federal Register notice that announces the re-opening the comment period explains that the CFPB has received data from the Federal Housing Finance Agency tracking the performance of loans bought or backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from 1997 to 2011. The CFPB has also received data on other securitized mortgages. According to the bureau, the data can be tapped for a variety...