In the wake of a financial crisis fueled in part by unscrupulous mortgage lending, the Federal Reserve has announced rules to protect consumers. (Among the rules is a provision that would prohibit lenders from paying higher fees to brokers for selling higher-cost loans.) In other words, the barn door has been rather slow in closing. But while it may be too late for these rules to undo the damage done, it's not too late for the Fed to lobby to keep its consumer protection duties. The Fed has been pushing against an administration proposal to hand those duties to a new consumer protection agency.
Other bailout links this morning:
CIT Eyes a Breakup ($) (WSJ)
IndyMac Modifications Outperform Industry Redefault Standard (Housing Wire)
G.M. Adds 5 Directors and Announces Several Top-Level Retirements (NYT)