Policy and Regulation

A proposed update to Basel III capital rules from federal banking regulators does not specifically include mortgage insurance as a factor in determining the risk weight for a mortgage loan held on a bank's balance sheet. Industry experts say it should.

Basel III recalibration cuts commercial real estate risk weights, unlocking $100 billion in bank lending capacity.

CFO Jeremy Barnum cited a "persistent miscalibration" of the surcharge on the biggest banks. JPMorgan reiterated its recommendation for changing the so-called G-SIB surcharge.

A recent executive order encouraging changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Ability-To-Repay and Qualified Mortgage rules are adding to a packed agenda at a time when the agency has lost a third of its staff.

The new executive order could add lender competition for self-employed borrowers, potentially via a small loan carveout and one for portfolio products.

Early industry reaction to the Federal Reserve's Basel III proposals points to potential capital relief for banks, though stakeholders say the complexity of the changes makes their overall impact unclear.

Federal regulators issued proposals Thursday to implement the final elements of the Basel III accords, adjust the global systemically important bank surcharge and implement standardized approaches for risk-weighted assets. The changes would reduce capital requirements for banks of all sizes affected by the rules.

As the Trump administration limits access to only U.S. citizens, volume in the Small Business Administration's flagship loan program is already trailing the 2025 pace. Experts predict that the tighter eligibility criteria will send more loans to nonbanks.

Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia struggled to find a resolution to an injunction issued last year that halted reductions-in-force by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.