Government

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that three experts have been named to senior positions within the Bureau. These positions are: the Assistant Director for the Office of Research; the Assistant Director for the Office of Financial Empowerment; and the Assistant Director for the Office of Installment and Liquidity Lending Markets.

As the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) reaches its five-year anniversary, some HAMP loans, including Fannie Mae HAMP loans, will begin to experience an increase in mortgage rates. When loans were modified, they were provided a below-market rate to help struggling homeowners. The rate was good for a set period of time, often five years, which makes HAMP's anniversary bittersweet for some homeowners who will now face rising interest rates.

Sarah Bloom Raskin was confirmed by the United States Senate today to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Treasury. Previously, Raskin was confirmed in 2010 by the Senate to serve as a Governor of the Board of the Federal Reserve where she helped conduct the nation’s monetary policy, regulate banking institutions, and implement Wall Street Reform.

Committee chairman Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota) and ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) of the Senate Banking Committee announced Tuesday plans to move forward on a new proposal to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in favor of a new government backstop for private financiers.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced that servicemembers, veterans, and their families who complained to the bureau about financial products or services have recovered over $1 million. The report covers more than 14,000 complaints filed from July 21, 2011 through February 1, 2014.

The U.S. economy added 175,000 jobs in February, beating expectations after two weak months but still failing to impress, according to a report from the Labor Department. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg anticipated a consensus forecast of 150,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate edged up to 6.7 percent from January’s five-year low of 6.6 percent.

Benjamin Lawsky, the superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYSDFS), issued a letter to Nationstar Mortgage Holdings, acknowledging the agency "has significant concerns that the explosive growth at Nationstar and other nonbank mortgage servicers may create capacity issues that put homeowners at risk."

In a joint release on Wednesday, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued final guidance describing supervisory expectations for stress tests. The tests will be conducted by medium-sized financial companies, "with total consolidated assets between $10 billion and $50 billion," according to the release.

The Beige Book released Wednesday revealed economic conditions are expected to expand at a "modest to moderate" rate in most areas of the country. Released by the Federal Reserve, the report summarized economic conditions across its 12 districts from January through February.

Bruce Berkowitz, managing member and chief investment officer of Fairholme Capital Management, sent a letter to both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on Monday, urging the directors to "act in the best interests of each company and in accordance with accepted best practices for corporate governance."