First-responder Credit Union Newsroom

In an analysis of more than 30 million home-purchase mortgage applications filed between 2018 and 2024, researchers found that the long-discussed 43% debt-to-income ratio threshold has little apparent impact on mortgage approval decisions. Instead, denial rates begin to rise sharply once applicants exceed a debt-to-income ratio of 50%. The findings were published as part of a four-part series examining barriers facing prospective homebuyers. ‘Practical Lesson is Clear’ “For borrowers, the practical lesson is clear: A debt-to-income ratio of 45% is treated by lenders much like a ratio of 35%,” the researchers wrote. “But crossing 50% changes the game entirely.” The 43% debt-to-income ratio gained prominence under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which established it as a key threshold for so-called qualified mortgages. Loans meeting that standard provided lenders with legal protections against ability-to-repay lawsuits. However, in 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau replaced the rat...

WASHINGTON — National Credit Union Administration Chairman Kyle Hauptman told members of the House Financial Services Committee on Thursday that the nation’s credit union system remains financially strong, while warning that rising delinquencies and consumer financial stress continue to warrant close monitoring. Hauptman also responded to a handful of questions from members of Congress, as well. Hauptman appeared as part of the regular hearings on Oversight of Prudential Regulators. Also appearing as witnesses were Michelle Bowman, vice chair for supervision with the Federal Reserve; Travis Hill, FDIC chairman, and Jonathan Gould, the acting Comptroller of the Currency. Kyle Hauptman In his prepared statement, Hauptman said federally insured credit unions remain well-capitalized and continue to meet members’ borrowing needs despite economic headwinds. He said the NCUA is focused on maintaining safety and soundness, protecting the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund and creating...

Is NCUA next? WASHINGTON—Federal banking regulators under President Trump are undertaking what Reuters described as the most significant overhaul of bank supervision since the 2008 financial crisis, shifting examiner focus away from process and compliance issues and toward what agencies consider “material” financial risks. According to Reuters, the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. have directed examiners to concentrate on risks that pose direct threats to a bank’s safety and soundness, rather than on paperwork deficiencies, governance concerns or procedural issues that do not immediately affect financial stability. Reuters reported that regulators have also moved away from evaluating banks based on “reputational risk,” a supervisory concept long criticized by banks as overly subjective. The change follows complaints from President Trump and others that financial institutions have used reputational-risk considerations...

  Changing the Map     Redistricting, explained Congressional redistricting is the process by which states redraw electoral district boundaries   that determine representation in the US House of Representatives. The Constitution, federal law, and court rulings require districts to have roughly equal populations, avoid discrimination against racial or language minorities, and, in most states, be geographically contiguous. For most of American history, redistricting has followed a predictable cycle, occurring every 10 years after the census.   Gerrymandering is the deliberate manipulation of district boundaries to advantage one political party. Common tactics  by both major American political parties include packing opposition voters i...