FHFA, Ginnie pledge tighter nonbank oversight
The Federal Housing Finance Agency and Ginnie Mae agreed to look more closely at credit line use, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Judge denies motion to halt racial equity mortgage program
A Washington court denied a plaintiff request, pointing to past Supreme Court rulings that showed a compelling interest for the state’s special-purpose credit program.
What last week’s crypto crash can teach us about stablecoins’ value
The crypto crash highlighted an overlooked aspect of stablecoins: They have both a stable value and a market-traded price, but the two don’t always match. What does the risk of de-pegs mean for payments?
The $40 million club: Big-bank CEO pay hits new heights
In 2025, compensation for the chief executives at four of the largest U.S. banks jumped by between 10% and 28%. The increases reflect strong financial performances, the achievement of certain milestones and the competitive landscape, a compensation consultant said.
Square’s AI, Amazon’s card workaround land in the UK
Block’s merchant unit is deploying a virtual assistant to sweeten its offer to merchants, while Amazon pushes Pay by Bank. Plus, Zelle reaches a milestone and more in American Banker’s global payments and fintech roundup.
Upstart CEO to step down; stock dips 15% on earnings report
The lender beat fourth-quarter earnings estimates but warned that a strategic shift toward auto and home equity loans will compress near-term profits.
Illinois judge rules in favor of swipe fee ban on sales tax and tips
In a major setback for banks and credit card networks, a federal judge upheld an Illinois law that bans the collection of swipe fees on sales tax and tip portions of credit card transactions. Banks are expected to appeal the ruling.
Fannie Mae g-fee gains outweighed by loss provisions, valuations
Adjustments related to higher credit risk weights for new acquisitions and rate shifts offset increases in the government-sponsored enterprise’s core earnings.
U.S. adds 130,000 jobs in January; unemployment rate falls
The Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its delayed January employment report Wednesday morning, showing the economy added 130,000 jobs in January. But the agency also sharply revised its estimates for total jobs created in 2025 to 181,000 from 584,000.
AI will ease the home-price crisis, if state lawmakers will let it
The federal government should step in to prevent an emerging patchwork of state regulations from stifling the benefits of applying the tools of generative artificial intelligence to the mortgage market.