Minority homebuilding businesses grew noticeably in the years after the Great Financial Crisis, but their share still lags when compared to the total population of people of color in the U.S., new analysis finds. The percentage of newly established minority-owned homebuilders more than doubled between pre-crisis 2007 and 2022 from 6% to 14%, according to […]
Growth of minority builders collides with policy rollback Read More »
Key insight: Bank regulators typically offer supervisory relief for banks so they can offer credit during temporary hardships like shutdowns and natural disasters. What’s at stake: Thousands of government workers and contractors could go without paychecks depending on how long the shutdown lasts. Forward look: It’s not clear if the White House will try to
Exclusive: Waters presses bank regulators on shutdown relief Read More »
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is tapping Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank Bisignano to serve as the chief executive officer of the Internal Revenue Service, a new position at an agency that has undergone multiple leadership shakeups this year. Bisignano will continue to lead the SSA while managing day-to-day operations at the IRS. Bessent, who has
Bessent taps Bisignano as IRS CEO in latest agency shakeup Read More »
President Donald Trump called on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to boost homebuilders and help “restore the American Dream” in a Truth Social post on Sunday. The president said large homebuilders are sitting on 2 million empty lots, and compared the situation to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries keeping oil prices high before
Trump calls on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac to boost homebuilders Read More »
Key insight: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is paring down nearly all community bank regulatory measures not required by law, leaving it up to examiners to determine applicable requirements. Expert quote: “Community banks have an outsized impact on lending and are vital to the strength of the U.S. economy. Today’s actions relieve
OCC to dramatically reduce community bank regulation Read More »
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could change how they approach affordable housing goals next year if their oversight agency’s new affordable-housing goal proposal moves forward. Some of the proposed benchmarks the Federal Housing Finance Agency published Thursday aren’t as high as those from a year ago and shift away from competitive efforts to serve low-income
FHFA floats new housing goals amid broader proposal review Read More »
Key insight: Fed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson described a delicate balancing act, supporting moderate rate cuts to protect jobs while keeping long-term inflation under control. Supporting data: GDP growth slowed to 1.6% in the first half of 2025, and tariffs are nudging prices higher as long-term expectations remain anchored. Forward look: Jefferson emphasized durable inflation
Jefferson signals cautionary stance on tariffs, labor and rate path Read More »
Key Insight: Payroll firm ADP showed that employers lost 32,000 jobs in September, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not release its scheduled jobs report Friday because of the federal government shutdown. Forward look: The Fed cut rates by 25 basis points in September as a “risk management” move. The absence of a key
Even as shutdown halts BLS data, hiring appears to be slowing Read More »
President Donald Trump is weighing slashing “thousands” of federal jobs ahead of a meeting with his budget director, Russell Vought, as the White House looks to ratchet up pressure on Democrats to end a government shutdown that has entered its second day. “It’s likely going to be in the thousands,” White House press secretary Karoline
Trump eyes firing thousands of federal workers over shutdown Read More »
Some government-sponsored enterprise reform models could add three or four figures to monthly payments, but others could exert some limited downward pressure, a Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research report finds. Estimated mortgage-rate hikes of 0.2% to 0.8% — an additional $500 to $2,000 for the typical homebuyer — could result in certain scenarios, authors
How potential changes to the GSEs could affect mortgage rates Read More »