Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich recently announced two new participants in the state’s regulatory sandbox for fintech companies. On the federal level, the CFPB expects to do more to encourage financial innovation.

The Community Mortgage Lenders of America has asked the CFPB to exempt smaller independent mortgage bankers from examinations or audits. The CFPB currently has active examinations for IMBs.

The implementation of the qualified-mortgage standard has reduced the incidence of lending to consumers with high debt-to-income ratios among nonconforming mortgage applications, and significantly increased the cost of credit, according to the Federal Reserve.

Democrats captured a majority of state attorney general seats in elections earlier this month, which will likely increase state-level litigation and multistate enforcement activity, said attorneys.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY, has filed a motion that could bring Kathy Kraninger, the administration’s choice to head the CFPB, up for a vote before the full Senate.

The CFPB updated the small entity compliance guides for two mortgage-related rules to reflect the changes in the exemption for loan originators working for manufactured-home retailers.

The proposed capital requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aim for risk-based standards that will allow the government-sponsored enterprises – and future competitors – to earn an acceptable return while remaining strong enough to withstand severe economic downturns.

The FHA is calling for broader statutory authority for the Mortgagee Review Board in determining the type and amount of penalties the board can assess to strengthen lender enforcement and eliminate the need for False Claims Act cases.

It remains to be seen if the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s controversial regulation-by-enforcement approach is as dead as the agency’s current leadership says it is, industry attorneys said.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency and the government-sponsored enterprises say they’re on track for the June launch of the single security, but industry groups still have several concerns about the pending seismic shift in how Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac issue single-family mortgage-backed securities.