Inside the Beltway

Legislation aimed at prohibiting the use of “trigger leads” involving the sale of consumer credit information to solicit lending services to homebuyers moved a step closer to becoming law after both the Senate and House passed the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act. Read on »

Lawmakers are being urged to support policies designed to help builders increase the production of quality, affordable housing. More than 1,000 builders, remodelers and associates of the residential construction industry brought their advocacy efforts to Washington, D.C. for the National Association of Home Builders 2025 Legislative Conference. Read on »

Community banking advocates across the country urged Senate leaders to include legislation to reduce loan interest costs for farmers, ranchers and rural homeowners in a letter endorsed by the Independent Community Bankers of America and 44 state affiliates. Read on »

The mortgage industry welcomed the passage of bipartisan legislation in the Senate prohibiting the use of “trigger leads.” The vote came shortly after nearly identical legislation passed the House Financial Services Committee with a minor amendment. Read on »

A myriad of trade advocates emphasized their support for legislation seeking to impose a widely supported prohibition on “trigger leads,” sold by credit agencies when consumers apply for residential mortgage loans, in letters to House committee leaders. Read on »

Legislation seeking to establish a clear regulatory framework for stablecoins has drawn pushback from the financial services sector over a requirement pertaining to credit card transactions. Critics claim this provision will increase fraud risk and increase credit costs. Read on »

Senators pressed the Department of Justice to investigate whether Department of Government Efficiency employees broke conflict of interest laws by cutting staffing at government agencies like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau while holding hundreds of thousands of dollars in private companies. Read on »

The mortgage industry welcomed the House’s passage of the VA Home Loan Program Reform Act (H.R. 1815), which would establish a permanent partial claim option to help distressed veteran homeowners. Read on »

Both the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Association of Realtors celebrated the real estate tax provisions in the Republican-led tax and spending package that was advanced by the House of Representatives via a narrow 215-214 vote. Read on »

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing to explore how the current regulatory regime governing bank mergers and new (de novo) bank formation impacts the financial sector. Lawmakers and witnesses discussed potential regulatory reforms aimed at fostering competition and ensuring widespread access to financial services. Read on »