Government

The so-called qualified residential mortgage (QRM) rule, which was put up for consideration by FDIC's board of directors Tuesday morning, would require banks to retain at least 5 percent of a loan's risk when packing mortgages to sell to investors in the secondary market. The QRM rule is one of the bigger provisions mandated by the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, with co-author Barney Frank remarking in the past that risk retention is "the single most important part of the bill."

The Office of the Commissioner of Financial Regulation in Maryland shut down NBRS Financial, based in Rising Sun, appointing FDIC as receiver, according to dual releases from both agencies. The latest collapse follows a quiet period after what had been an active summer for FDIC. Last year, the agency announced 24 bank closings, 22 of which had already occurred by this time.

Citing "people familiar with the matter," the Wall Street Journal reported Friday that the two GSEs and their conservator are nearing an agreement with lenders that would set clearer definitions of when a loan is considered to be in breach of GSE selling requirements. The agreement could be announced as soon as next week, according to the publication.

According to a joint release from the Commerce Department and HUD, homebuilders broke ground on new projects at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.02 million last month, 6.3 percent above August's revised estimate of 957,000 (just barely up from the government's initial estimate).

Community financial institutions are putting more of their resources toward compliance, according to compliance management systems firm Continuity Control. The firm's 2014 Third Quarter Banking Compliance Index revealed that in order to comply with the 82 regulatory changes added in Q3, 653 additional hours were required of the average community bank.

The economy continued to grow on a "modest to moderate" track over the last month, with consumer spending and job growth fueling improvements in other economic sectors, according to the latest update from the Federal Reserve. With two weeks to go until the Federal Open Market Committee's next policy meeting, Wednesday's report further bolsters the popular prediction that the central bank will vote to end its monthly bond-buying program.

In a report released Wednesday, Wolters Kluwer Financial Services (WKFS) said its Regulatory & Risk Management Indicator increased again to 128, reflecting a 28 percent rise since its baseline score established in January 2013. Looking at compliance challenges, 72 percent of banker respondents listed "maintaining compliance with changing regulations" as one of their top concerns, up from 67 percent at the start of last year.

William A. Ackman, head of Pershing Square, and Bruce Berkowitz, head of Fairholme Capital, have both added to their respective stakes in the two GSEs. In the last week of September, Judge Royce Lambert threw out lawsuits filed by Fairholme and Perry Capital against the government claiming that the sweeping of GSE profits into Treasury was illegal. The judge ruled the sweeping of the profits was legal under the Housing and Economic Recovery Act.

The Office of Inspector General for HUD announced that civil investigations of some of the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) largest lenders have resulted in significant settlements in the last year. "These settlements are the latest step in a continuing effort to bring to light significant problems that we have identified in the loan underwriting practices of a number of large FHA-approved lenders, which have or will provide a meaningful financial boost to the FHA insurance fund," HUD OIG David A. Montoya said.

HUD announced a $5 million settlement with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage to resolve allegations that Wells Fargo discriminated against women who were either pregnant or on maternity leave. Among other accusations, the six complaints allege that Wells Fargo made loans unavailable to families based on familial status and forced women to give up their maternity leave and return to work before their loans closed.