He also reiterated that he and Trump are focused on bringing down 10-year Treasury yields, rather than on the Fed's short-term benchmark rate.

Thirty members of the Senate Banking and House Financial Services committees signed a letter petitioning the administration to name a new vice chair for supervision — and quickly.

Notably, Trump described the January decision to hold rates steady – which looks set to be the Fed's stance for some time — as "the right thing to do."

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said insurance companies and banks are already pulling out of disaster-prone areas, which could pose problems.

The Federal Reserve governor said regulators have stifled the banking system's ability to experiment with emerging technologies.

State banking associations across the country said that Michelle Bowman should be the Federal Reserve vice chair for supervision, not least because she already sits on the Fed board and could start immediately.

It took until Thursday for the president to indicate he'd follow through on some of his tariff threats, meaning investors who had been bracing for levies to be imposed on day one of his term had a couple weeks of relief.

Stability in mortgage rates may be key to unlocking pent-up demand during the upcoming spring homebuying season, but with loans still expensive and prices continuing to rise, affordability remains a hurdle.

Strong economic growth coupled with a solid labor market allows officials to wait for further evidence of cooling inflation before adjusting rates again. It also offers them time to evaluate President Donald Trump's policies.

Mortgage experts were expecting the first FOMC meeting under President Trump would have more significance in the long run than short-term, with some wild cards.