WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats are urging the Trump administration to abandon any plans to halt publication of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Average Prime Offer Rate (APOR) tables, warning the move could disrupt the mortgage market and restrict credit for millions of borrowers.
In a letter led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), the lawmakers cautioned that cutting the CFPB’s weekly APOR updates — a benchmark used to determine mortgage pricing and regulatory compliance — would inject uncertainty into a $13 trillion housing finance system. APOR tables help lenders determine whether loans qualify for certain legal protections and guide underwriting decisions.
The warning comes after the CFPB signaled in a recent court filing that it could face a funding shortfall as early as 2026 under the administration’s interpretation of the bureau’s budget authority. That raised concerns that APOR publication, a core Bureau function, could be reduced or eliminated.
Threat to Mortgage ‘Availability’
“Halting APOR publication is a half-baked idea that threatens mortgage availability nationwide,” the senators wrote, arguing that discontinuing the data could lead lenders to restrict lending or raise rates to offset legal and regulatory risk. Consumer advocates have also cautioned that the change could hit lower-income and first-time buyers hardest.
According to analysts, the Bureau’s APOR tables serve as a critical reference point for determining whether a mortgage meets “qualified mortgage” standards. Without those weekly figures, lenders could be forced to rely on inconsistent or proprietary rate benchmarks, a shift that industry analysts warn could slow loan originations and unsettle secondary-market buyers.
The Broader Fight
As the CU Daily has been reporting, the dispute is unfolding amid a broader fight over the CFPB’s future. Democrats say recent budget caps enacted under the administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” threaten to starve the agency of resources. The CFPB has said it is working to maintain continuity in APOR publication, even as internal planning documents warn of long-term fiscal strain.
