President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting mortgages addresses several concerns raised by banks and nonbanks, which have largely welcomed it as a road map for regulatory change. But it’s also receiving pushback from consumer advocates.
Top banks in the mortgage space have relied on a similar playbook for years, but they say they could become more aggressive if upcoming changes to capital rules provide more flexibility.
The executive orders arrive a few weeks after Trump’s State of the Union address to Congress in which the president offered limited details about his housing affordability proposals.
Eight trade groups representing lenders are urging federal regulators to revise bank capital rules by adopting a more tailored risk weight for mortgages held on balance sheets and by significantly cutting the capital charge applied to mortgage servicing rights.
Regulatory changes to how banks treat mortgage assets — anticipated this week by Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michelle Bowman — may have an impact on the mortgage market over time, analysts said.
Michelle Bowman used a major industry forum to argue that Basel capital rules have helped to drive mortgage lending and servicing away from banks — and that it’s time to reconsider that approach.