By KIMBERLEY HAAS
As officials at the Federal Trade Commission continue to review the proposed acquisition of Black Knight by Intercontinental Exchange, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee is reiterating her concerns about the merger.
U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) has said the two companies play a dominant role in the technology and data underlying the country’s mortgage markets and “such a monopoly would harm our nation’s consumers and our housing market.”
This week, Waters sent a letter to FTC Chair Lina Khan offering recommendations for a negotiated settlement agreement, saying there are anti-trust, financial stability, and consumer protection safeguard issues to be considered.
“In addition to potentially creating a housing finance conglomerate that would dwarf all…
President Biden will nominate Sandra Thompson to become the permanent director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), the White House announced in a statement on Tuesday. Thompson is the current acting head of the FHFA, having taken over the position in June when Biden replaced Mark Calabria. She would serve a five-year term after her approval by the Senate. Though Thompson has held the position since June, her nomination was at one point in question. Biden faced criticism in September when rumors spread that he was considering nominating Center for Responsible Lending President Michael Calhoun. Thompson maintained support among Democratic politicians focused on housing, especially House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters, which may have solidified her position. “We will…
House Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters issued a lengthy housing to-do list for President-elect Joe Biden. Waters, D-California, sent a 7,056-word letter to Biden urging him to, among other things: Issue an executive order to prevent evictions.Direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development to “implement a uniform, interim recertification rule that requires PHAs and owners to presume that a tenant’s inability to pay rent has been caused by a loss of income, and as a result would be required to conduct an income recertification.”Preserve the GSE Patch for the duration of the pandemic and re-propose a replacement for the GSE Patch when the housing market has stabilizedFire Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Kathy Kraninger.Fire United States Interagency Council on Homelessness…
Mark Calabria wants to pull Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship by the time President Trump leaves office next month. Not so fast, says Rep. Maxine Waters. The chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee sent Calabria a letter last week urging him to “fully engage with Congress, halt all efforts to raise the capital requirements for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and halt all efforts to release them from conservatorship.” “I believe that it is entirely inappropriate for you and your agency to be focusing on releasing the Enterprises from conservatorship during the pandemic with the assistance of a lame duck Treasury Secretary,” Rep. Waters wrote. “At the very least, the Congress and the American public deserve transparency…
