CREFC also intends to engage with the SEC on other issues that our members find problematic. Please contact Kaira Whitmore (
Kwhitemore@crefc.org) if you would like to join our Legal Advisory Committee or Advocacy Committee.
The Senate Banking Committee also will consider the nomination of Jonathan Gould to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and nominee Luke Pettit to be the Treasury Department’s assistant secretary for financial institutions.
What they're saying: In a March 19 interview last week with the
All-In Podcast, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent backed the Fed’s independence as it relates to monetary policy, but criticized some of the Fed’s regulatory policies.
- Bessent said getting rid of the financial “corset” imposed by current rules would help spur growth, adding that some of the Fed’s policies on climate and DEI “threatens their independence.”
- He also said he plans to use his role on the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) to “keep pushing for safe, sound, and smart deregulation.”
On March 20, Bessent convened a meeting of the FSOC in executive session where he
shared his priorities for the Council:
- Prioritize enhancements to the member agencies’ supervisory and regulatory frameworks;
- Foster innovation and otherwise support economic growth;
- Refocus supervision on material financial risks; and
- Remove reputational risk as a basis for supervisory criticism.
On the housing front, early last week FHFA Director Bill Pulte revamped the boards of both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and is now chair of each board.
- Later in the week, Pulte dismissed Freddie Mac CEO Diana Reid and placed FHFA Chief Operating Officer Gina Cross and Human Resources Director Monica Matthews on leave.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a proposal shared with the administration last week outlined how the government could transfer Treasury’s ownership of the GSEs to a sovereign wealth fund.
- Bessent also suggested on the All-In Podcast that the administration could use Fannie and Freddie for a sovereign-wealth fund.
What's next: CREFC will continue to closely monitor important regulatory appointments and developments. Please see here for the latest
Regulatory Tracker .