A bipartisan pair of lawmakers from the House of Representatives found fault with the Obama administration this week for not making housing finance and reform of the government-sponsored enterprises a priority. Failing that, they’re not certain there would be enough support from both sides of the aisle to get a comprehensive bill pushed through the pipeline and signed by the president. “I don’t think the White House has sent a positive signal about participating in this process,” said Rep. Randy Neugebauer, R-TX, during a housing finance reform discussion in Washington, DC, this week sponsored by the Bipartisan Policy Center. “It’s such a big lift. You need to make sure that if you’re going down that road, that you have the opportunity to accomplish something.” His colleague, Rep. John Delaney, D-MD, agreed...
In the eyes of some Federal Reserve watchers, Fed chief Janet Yellen has become a master of making every public appearance a bit of a Rorschach test, giving fans and critics alike just enough of what they want to hear to reinforce their pre-existing viewpoints. Her semi-annual Humphrey-Hawkins testimony on Fed monetary policy before Congress this week was another prime example of this, with Wall Street types hopeful of a rise in interest rates sometime later this year, and contrarians increasingly unconvinced and dismissive. For instance, labor markets are showing...
CFPB chief Richard Cordray promised: "If we see errors, we’ll point out what they are and how they should be corrected. We will not be looking to be punitive toward people.”
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Richard Cordray tried to sooth industry concerns about regulatory enforcement of the controversial integrated disclosure rule immediately following its implementation on Oct. 3. Appearing before the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Cordray amplified previous statements regarding compliance with the so-called TRID rule, which makes major changes to consumer disclosures under the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. “We worked...
The mortgage lending industry widely supports the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposal to extend to Oct. 3, 2015, the effective date of its transformative integrated-disclosure rule under the Truth in Lending Act and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act. But more needs to be done, say those who have commented on the planned delay. The American Bankers Association, for example, said, “Given the unique circumstances posed by the TRID rulemaking, the only way to realistically ensure an orderly transition to the new regulatory framework – and to guarantee uninterrupted service to consumers – is to institute a subsequent supervisory transition period that restrains enforcement and liability during a three-month period following the proposed effective date.” For a variety of reasons, the ABA urged...