Hannah Lang is a Washington-based reporter who writes about federal mortgage policy and the U.S. housing finance system for American Banker and National Mortgage News. She is a former multimedia reporter for the Capital News Service and a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park.
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Consumer advocates and mortgage industry officials are urging Sandra Thompson, the new acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to undo many policies that her predecessor, Mark Calabria, put in place over the past year.
July 1 -
President Biden removed Mark Calabria as Federal Housing Finance Agency director hours after a Supreme Court ruling made the move possible. The administration is expected to offer up a nominee who will prioritize affordable housing and racial equity in housing instead of reforming Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
June 23 -
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the market dislocations of the past year resulting from the pandemic had changed the impact that the supplementary leverage ratio was having on the largest banks. After temporarily easing the requirement, the central bank is considering longer-term reforms.
June 16 -
Financial institutions spent nearly $214 billion last year — an 18% jump from 2019 — to meet regulatory requirements for fighting financial crimes, a new study says. The spending included more staffing to manage risks posed by customer growth.
June 9 -
Some worry the Senate’s rejection of the OCC rule hampers efforts to clarify legal standards for banks selling loans to fintechs.
May 12 -
Fannie and Freddie's regulator says the companies must comply with the new Qualified Mortgage standard by the summer, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has extended the deadline to 2022. The conflicting timetables have stoked uncertainty in the market.
May 7 -
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is dismissing claims that loose monetary policy has led to rising home values and shrinking inventory and insists that the market is buoyed by creditworthy borrowers and investors.
April 28 -
Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mark Calabria said he wants to work with the consumer bureau on an “exit strategy” for borrowers approaching the end of their forbearance periods.
April 20 -
The Financial Stability Oversight Council has struggled to find its footing since its creation in Dodd-Frank. The Treasury secretary has signaled a more aggressive role for the panel, including reviving its authority to target nonbank behemoths.
April 8 -
One official at the bureau said this fall could be an “unusual point in history” for the mortgage market as delinquent borrowers exit forbearance plans. The agency proposed new steps for servicers to help consumers stay in their homes.
April 5
