Hannah Lang is a Washington-based reporter who writes about federal mortgage policy and the U.S. housing finance system for American Banker and National Mortgage News. She is a former multimedia reporter for the Capital News Service and a graduate of the University of Maryland at College Park.
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President Biden's announcement that he is reappointing Jerome Powell as chair of the Federal Reserve suggests that not much will change regarding supervision, capital requirements and approval of merger applications. But the still-open position for vice chair of supervision could go to a more progressive nominee.
By Hannah LangNovember 22 -
Christopher Waller, a member of the Federal Reserve Board, warned that blocking nonbank entry into payment systems would stifle innovation. His remarks appeared to contradict a recent report in which Fed Chair Jerome Powell and others recommended that only banks be allowed to issue stablecoins.
By Hannah LangNovember 17 -
The Federal Housing Administration’s capital fund is at a 14-year high, which industry groups say is proof borrowers are paying to much for mortgage insurance. But with elevated delinquencies resulting from the pandemic, officials said they remain cautious about pricing.
By Hannah LangNovember 15 -
GOP opposition and a packed Senate agenda have delayed the vote on Julia Gordon as head of the Federal Housing Administration. But industry representatives say that with FHA delinquency rates still elevated and loan forbearance plans expiring, there's an urgency for Congress to confirm her by year-end.
By Hannah LangNovember 12 -
The federal bank regulators had relaxed certain requirements in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 crisis. But they said in a new joint statement that servicers “have had sufficient time to adjust their operations” since that time.
By Hannah LangNovember 10 -
The Federal Reserve is mulling changes to a key capital measure for big banks, rulings on several merger applications and other actions. How it ultimately decides those matters will depend largely on whom President Biden appoints as head of the central bank and to other leadership positions.
By Hannah LangNovember 9 -
Randal Quarles, who oversaw an easing of post-financial crisis rules as the Federal Reserve’s vice chair of supervision, announced he will resign at the end of this year. His departure will leave President Biden with another open seat to fill on the central bank’s board.
By Hannah LangNovember 8 -
The Federal Reserve had made it easier for financial institutions facing COVID-19-related pressures to comply with the supplementary leverage ratio. The central bank ended that break last spring, but the industry says the market distortions that originally prompted Fed action persist.
By Hannah LangNovember 4 - The Basel III reforms initiated after 2008 and the hard-fought Basel IV provisions completed in 2017 made banks more resilient. International consensus on new challenges like climate change and cybersecurity could be impossible.Sponsored by IntraFi
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Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell defended the central bank’s work to examine the effects of a warming planet on the financial system, but said decisions such as whether banks should lend to fossil fuel companies are best left to “elected representatives.”
By Hannah LangNovember 3