Tag Archives: Regulation

In a testimonybefore two House subcommittees, Fifth Third Bancorp CFO Daniel Poston (speaking on behalf of the American Bankers Association) urged the withdrawal of Basel III's "standardized approach" in light of the burdens it would bring to banks and to the overall economy. In his testimony, Poston said that most banks have no problem with capital requirements and noted capital levels are already high. The problem, he said, lies in the "arbitrary--and excessive--risk weights that will hurt banks, our customers, and the U.S. economy overall."

It seems more banks are eyeing the possibility of expansion in 2013, according to a survey sponsored by Crowe Horwath LLP. According to the results, 57 percent of banks intend to make some form of acquisition in the next year, up from last year's survey. Furthermore, many bankers expressed interest in acquisitions outside of their core banking franchises. Out of the banks that are looking at expanding, 28.8 percent said they intend to acquire a residential mortgage origination business in 2013.

Standardization and stability brought on by regulation will pave the way for a bright future for mortgage banking, FBR speculates.

As of September 30, the five servicers named in the national mortgage settlement reported they have provided $26.11 billion in actual consumer relief.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is granting more time to implement new mortgage disclosures required under the Dodd-Frank Act.

While admitting that creating mortgage lending regulations that prevent abuse without over-burdening community banks is "challenging," Federal Reserve governor Elizabeth A. Duke suggested Friday that policymakers "abandon efforts for a one-size-fits-all approach." Speaking before the Community Bankers Symposium in Chicago, Duke said the Federal Reserve has received a large volume of comments from community banks expressing concern over the proposed regulatory capital requirements.

Government agencies are continuing their regulatory investigation of mortgage activities at Wells Fargo and Wachovia, according to a report filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Wells Fargo absorbed Wachovia in 2008 when Wachovia's shaky mortgage portfolio threatened the bank's soundness. The government is looking into activities regarding mortgage origination and securitization, including risk disclosures at Wachovia.

According to the CFPB, an examination of financial institutions found "instances of significant non-compliance with" regulatory statutes.

The ICBA has gathered nearly 15,000 signatures on a petition opposed to "applying Wall Street regulations to Main Street community banks."

By clarifying the qualified residential mortgage (QRM) and QM (qualified mortgage) rules, regulators could attract private investors back into the mortgage market, Michael Held, president of Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, told the audience at the Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Annual Conference and Expo in Chicago Monday.