News By Edition

The Federal Reserve’s decision to keep the federal funds rate unchanged at 3.5 percent–3.75 percent at its first policy-setting meeting of 2026 showed the divide among voting members also has not changed. Dodd Frank Update consulted First American Senior Economist Sam Williamson about the implications to housing affordability.

The National Association of Mortgage Brokers offered a series of potential solutions to ongoing concerns about elevated home prices in a new white paper. One industry insider said down payment assistance is “essential” to this goal in comments provided to Dodd Frank Update.

For years, Dustin Harris, also known as “The Appraiser Coach,” shared appraisal advice and successful business tips to Valuation Review readers. He will now provide Dodd Frank Update readers with those insights to keep valuation operations for both appraisers and lenders on the track to success.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released economic and financial market scenarios for use in the upcoming stress tests designed to assess an institution’s ability to weather specific baseline and severely adverse conditions.

Federal financial agencies initiated several efforts to get stakeholder feedback on rulemaking proposals concerning bank supervision, the implementation of a federal framework for stablecoins and to eliminate obsolete regulations in February. Learn about these proposals and how to make your voice heard in this roundup.

Restb.ai recently announced the release of a new API designed to help mortgage and appraisal industries comply with the sweeping new data standards in the Uniform Appraisal Dataset 3.6, which has already arrived.

The Trump administration claimed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has cost consumers significantly more than it has saved them in a report describing the impact of its policies and enforcement practices. The report contradicts other accounts of the bureau's impact since its inception championed by its supporters.

During the Financial Stability Oversight Council’s annual hearing to Congress, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testified about his priorities intended to benefit the financial marketplace and the greater economy. He faced questions about the Treasury’s timeline for issuing rules implementing key legislative provisions and reform measures.

In Part II of Dodd Frank Update’s conversation with Tim Andersen (“The Appraiser’s Advocate”) and Marty Wagar, of Wagar & Associates Inc., the industry veterans discussed how the integration of technology could enhance the relationship between the appraisers, lenders and appraisal management companies.

The minutes from the Jan. 27-28 Federal Open Market Committee meeting indicate that the Trump administration’s ultimatum for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to bolster their mortgage investment portfolios has had a measurable impact on the financial markets.

New home purchase applications rebounded in January after a notable dip the month prior, according to the latest Mortgage Bankers Association Builder Application Survey data.

The complexity of the secondary mortgage market was the focal point of a hearing held by the House Financial Services Committee’s Housing and Insurance Subcommittee on Feb. 11. The hearing featured testimony on the current securitization framework and ideas for preserving liquidity, competition and access to the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) publicly released a report examining the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) internal reorganization efforts, which the bureau has called “biased” and “inaccurate.” Dodd Frank Update asked a former CFPB senior counsel, with first-hand experience dealing with GAO audits, to assess the bureau’s claims.

Are appraiser perceptions of AMCs changing? Dodd Frank Update spoke with veteran appraisers Tim Andersen (“The Appraiser’s Advocate”) and Marty Wagar, of Wagar & Associates Inc., for their insights.

At this year’s Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Commercial/Multifamily Finance Convention and Expo in San Diego, MBA President and CEO Bob Broeksmit pointed out how much has changed in the banking world.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network recently launched a new webpage dedicated to confidentially accepting whistleblower tips regarding fraud, money laundering and sanctions violations and other laws deemed critical to safeguarding the U.S. financial system and national security.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman proposed a “new path forward” for regulating the financial marketplace while speaking at a recent industry event and drew strong praise from mortgage banking providers.

After examining the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s renewed rulemaking efforts, some regulatory experts told Dodd Frank Update they believe one of the agency’s top priorities will be to ensure its reimagined rules can withstand scrutiny from the courts.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s plans to overhaul its open banking final rule, implementing Sec. 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act, could be one of, if not its biggest, undertakings this year. Dodd Frank Update asked some top-tier compliance experts to share their expectations for the rewrite and they did not hold back.

The House voted in favor of passing H.R. 6644, the “Housing for the 21st Century Act,” which contains a variety of industry-backed reform initiatives that were removed from another major piece of legislation late last year.

Cornerstone Capital Bancorp, Inc. received the regulatory approval it needed from the Federal Reserve to proceed with its acquisition of Peoples Bancorp, Inc., after the institutions reached a unanimous agreement last fall.

ServiceLink formed a partnership with Grid-ML LLC to be the first appraisal management company in the industry to offer its new UAD 3.6 interactive reference guide to ServiceLink’s appraiser panel at no extra cost.

Despite becoming a staple of conversation in the real estate finance industry, many companies are still searching for a guiding light when it comes to how to best develop and deploy the right artificial intelligence (AI) solutions for their businesses. Dodd Frank Update spoke with Wilqo Head of Compliance John Haring and Wilqo Chief of Staff Tom Morelli about the approach they recommend businesses take when considering what AI-driven solutions to incorporate into their workflows.

With the funding necessary to keep its doors open for the time being secured, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to pick up where it left off rewriting its small business lending rule, implementing Sec. 1071 of the Dodd-Frank Act. Dodd Frank Update reached out to seasoned compliance experts about what may be coming down the pipeline.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has officially crossed the tipping point in real estate. According to the 2026 Delta Media Real Estate AI & Leadership Survey, nearly all brokerage leaders (97 percent) report that their agents are now using AI, marking a decisive shift from experimentation to everyday business use.

December marked the seventh consecutive month of improvement in housing affordability, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Purchase Applications Payment Index.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced that the broad production of the Uniform Appraisal Dataset 3.6 and Forms Redesign is now underway.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is considering making various changes to the agency’s complaint system and is seeking stakeholder feedback. Early comments submitted by consumer advocates and the consumer data industry indicate this move could become a source of contention moving forward.

The Trump administration’s latest action aimed at reshaping certain fair lending policies came in the form of a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to remove references to “disparate impact” liability from three final rules implemented by the agency since 2013.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts ended years of litigation over a lawsuit against a credit-repair service provider by approving a stipulated final judgment and order proposed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Massachusetts attorney general.

Legislation intended to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets in the U.S. has hit several hurdles, ranging from a lack of bipartisan political support to disputes among bankers and crypto advocates. Multiple financial trade organizations met with President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss the matter.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) recently announced the appointment of a vice president and chief financial officer. This individual will oversee MBA’s managerial accounting and financial operations, including financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and risk management.

The International Association of Assessing Officers announced its 2026 president on Jan. 1. In addition to the role of organization president, this individual will serve as the chair of the board of directors and preside over all board and membership meetings.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the appointment of several new members of its Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, which is tasked with ensuring public companies and broker-dealers protect the interests of investors and the public.

Class Valuation recently announced the appointment of an executive vice president of third-party origination and distributed retail. This individual will oversee strategy, operations and client success for the company’s broker and distributed retail channels.

Dodd Frank Update recently caught up with Matt Rogina, senior vice president, default services sales manager at ServiceLink, for an exclusive interview where he shared insights about the default mortgage space, common causes of defaulted mortgages and solutions available to borrowers that can help keep them in their homes, prior to the foreclosure stage.

President Donald Trump nominated a former Federal Reserve governor to be the board chair on Jan. 30. The nomination received broad support from financial services leaders but some lawmakers said it should be halted until the open federal investigation into the current chair has been closed.

Florida Agency Network President Amy Gregory and FincenRealEstateReport.com CEO Charles Wismer answered questions in advance of October Research’s Feb. 5 webinar titled “Countdown to Compliance: A Demo on FinCEN’s Real Estate Report,” where they will give a live demonstration of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network’s real estate report.

ieIMPACT Technologies Inc. announced the official launch of AMC-Connect, a platform designed to eliminate one of the appraisal profession’s most persistent inefficiencies: manual data entry and repetitive form completion across multiple appraisal management company portals.

A pair of financial services industry trade groups wrote to federal regulators in support of two proposals that would make national banks expressly exempt from state laws applicable to real estate escrow accounts.

Usherpa, developers of the real estate and mortgage industry’s first Customer Relationship Engagement Platform (REP), is proud to announce that Laila Stout, an experienced marketing strategist who joined the team less than a year ago as a Marketing Strategist, has been promoted to Director of Marketing.

Class Valuation recently named Daniel Allan Busch as chief financial officer. Busch will oversee financial strategy and operations and play a central role in Class Valuation’s expansion.

Ascribe, a provider of real estate valuation and inspection services, recently appointed a new CEO to lead the company in its next phase of growth.