American Banker: In Considering mortgage Rule, CFPB Focused on Access to Credit

Raj Date, the deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, assured financial industry representatives Tuesday that the agency is carefully weighing access to consumer credit as it finalizes the qualified mortgage rule.

The CFPB is expected to release a...

• March 28, 2012 • 2:06pm

A variety of encouraging indicators suggest the housing market is awakening, “much like the garden flora reemerging from their winter dormancy,” Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac chief economist said Wednesday.

In the agency’s latest economic outlook report, Nothaft predicts stronger economic growth in 2012 will ...

• March 28, 2012 • 2:06pm

A variety of encouraging indicators suggest the housing market is awakening, “much like the garden flora reemerging from their winter dormancy,” Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac chief economist said Wednesday.

In the agency’s latest economic outlook report, Nothaft predicts stronger economic growth in 2012 will ...

(Bloomberg BusinessWeek) — Consumer credit is on a tear. In January (the latest data available), consumers borrowed $17.8 billion, bringing outstanding consumer debt to $2.51 trillion. That’s the biggest three-month gain in more than a decade. More borrowing could be a good sign, showing that consumers are more confident–that magical emotion ...

http://www.housingwire.com/article/cfpb-flexes-truth-lending-muscle-tenth-circuit

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau flexed its muscle as interpreter of the Truth in Lending Act, filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the United States 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The CFPB filed the brief to back a homeowner, who claims an automatic...

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans on taking a close look at the Federal Reserve’s controversial loan officer compensation rule and will issue a new proposal “soon” according to a top official at the young agency.

CFPB acting assistant director Peter Carroll told a Women in Housing and Finance symposium Tuesday that...

I am writing at 30,000 feet as I fly home from Washington, D.C. and another successful NAMB Federal Lobby Day.  CAMP had 18 of the 100 attendees this year and we again showed that California is a thought leader when it comes to Federal Advocacy.  We had a great mix of veterans and new CAMP members walking the halls of Congress on Tuesday.

NAMB...

Freddie CEO signals GSE principal reduction could be soon

http://www.housingwire.com/article/freddie-ceo-signals-gse-principal-reduction-could-be-soon

By Jon Prior

• March 23, 2012 • 11:14am

Freddie Mac CEO Charles “Ed” Haldeman gave a strong signal Friday that new incentives from the Treasury Department may be enough to start principal...

The stock market has been quiet this entire week.  Trading volume has been abnormally light for this time of year.  Investors are sticking to the sidelines as there is little market moving news for the investment community to trade on.  You may recall in months past how I mentioned that volatile movements in the market afford investors the op...

Changing how banks work with borrowers

Bank of America is launching a pilot program that will allow homeowners at risk of foreclosure to hand over deeds to their houses and sign leases that will let them rent the houses back from the bank at a market rate. The bank began sending letters Thursday, The Wall Street Journal says, offering leases to...