As debates continue to swirl about recapitalizing the housing GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, ABA and several other housing and financial groups urged Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt not to give in to advocates for rebuilding Fannie’s and Freddie’s capital cushions without structural reform.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today modified the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (Regulation B) to provide flexibility for lenders around the collection of applicants’ demographic data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (Regulation C).

The Federal Housing Finance Agency today extended the Home Affordable Refinance Program through Dec. 31, 2018.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could need upwards of $100 billion in bailout funds if faced with another financial crisis, according to the results of the GSEs’ Dodd-Frank Act stress tests released yesterday.

Fannie Mae today said that it earned net income of $3.2 billion in the second quarter, up from $2.8 billion in the first quarter.

ABA yesterday urged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to carefully consider costs and burdens associated with its Ability-to-Repay/Qualified Mortgage rule as it conducts a required assessment of the final rule’s effectiveness.

Freddie Mac yesterday reported a $1.7 billion profit for the second quarter, following earnings of $2.2 billion in the previous quarter.

Testifying before the Senate Banking Committee today on behalf of ABA, banker Brenda Hughes called for Congress to move ahead with housing finance reform that provides liquidity for the house market and maintains access for community banks.

With the housing market having recovered and memories of the financial crisis growing distant, Federal Reserve Governor Jerome Powell said today that “the next few years may present our last best chance to finish” critical reforms of housing finance, particularly regarding the secondary market and the role of housing GSEs Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency today proposed new metrics for assessing the performance of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.