FRB

Faced with rising pressure to lower interest rates, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell recently said his agency would have likely reduced the federal funds rate already this year if it were not for market volatility caused by the Trump administration’s trade tariffs. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte released a statement on social media accusing Powell of “political bias” and calling for an investigation into his actions as Fed chair. Read on »

The federal bank regulatory agencies issued a request for information on a proposal to modify certain regulatory capital standards to encourage banking organizations to engage in lower-risk activities and help U.S. Treasury markets run more smoothly. Read on »

The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act, S. 1582, passed 68-30 in the Senate with bipartisan support for its aim of establishing a federal regulatory framework for U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins. Read on »

The federal banking agencies published comprehensive data depicting communities presenting opportunities for covered institutions to receive Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) compliance credit through outreach activities, as well as a list of banks recently evaluated for their efforts to fulfill their CRA obligations. Read about these reports and more in this regulatory roundup. Read on »

The Federal Open Market Committee voted to maintain the federal funds target rate at a range of 4-1/4 percent to 4-1/2 percent, citing a confluence of positive and negative economic indicators warranting a measured approach in the eyes of its members. The decision aligns with projections by mortgage industry leaders but elicited harsh criticism from President Donald Trump. Read on »

If you are a business owner or a real estate professional who is unsure how certain aspects of the economy will impact you, you could likely benefit from Dr. Bill Conerly’s straight forward, to-the-point discussion with October Research Chief Knowledge Officer Mary Schuster on our Keys to Real Estate podcast. Read on »

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell appointed a new leader of the Fed Office of Inspector General, who will have oversight of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as well. Days later, the Fed announced its intent to investigate efforts to make massive staff cuts at the bureau ahead of his arrival. Read on »

The results of the Federal Reserve’s latest Senior Financial Officer Survey results indicated most bankers expect their balance sheets to remain unchanged over the next six months and plan to prioritize retention rather than growth strategies, with some exceptions. Read on »

The Senate voted to confirm Michelle “Miki” Bowman to serve at the Federal Reserve’s vice chair for supervision. The financial services industry, which has expressed strong support for Bowman since her nomination in March, reacted favorably to her confirmation. Read on »

A federal court is considering a request for a temporary stay on litigation in a lawsuit challenging the legality of the Federal Reserve’s bank stress testing regime. The plaintiffs joined with the Fed in asking for a halt in proceedings, acknowledging the agency’s “good-faith effort” to address transparency concerns raised in the suit. Read on »