Bank fees, home loans, student loans, we've got you covered this morning. I'm David Brancaccio in Los Angeles. The Senate has voted to let banks keep charging more for overdrafts. They're typically around $35 per occurrence, but the Biden administration had moved to push the fees down to as little as $5, but the banking industry opposed

this and Congress could take the bank's view. Marketplace's Novo Saffo has more.

The vote in the Senate was 52 to 48 along party lines with Republican Senator Josh Hawley joining

Democrats in opposition. The Consumer Bankers Association applauded the Senate's actions,

saying it would

particularly benefit consumers who lack access to credit and count on overdraft protections to pay

for necessities. The rule at issue came about as part of the Biden administration's campaign

against so-called junk fees. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said banks were charging

customers far more than

what it cost to provide overdraft protections. The House will also have to vote to overturn, and

President Trump would have to sign the resolution. The CFPB issued the overdraft fee limit during

the waning days of the Biden administration that gave Congress a 60-day window to reverse the

regulation.

Any reversal would be permanent. A future administration would not be allowed to issue a similar rule without specific congressional authorization. I'm Novosafo for Marketplace.

Applications for home loans are way up at Bank of America. The number of people trying for

mortgages is up 80 percent January through now. I mean, tis

the season as people with families buy in winter spring to close ahead of the next school year,

but it's not all seasonal. Here's Marketplaces Samantha Fields. In January, mortgage rates were

hovering around 7%. By March, they'd come down closer to 6.5%. Alan Sealandbinder at Bank of America

says in this market, even that small dip can make a difference. The slight change in its rates

and also the slight increase in housing inventory. He says both helped drive up mortgage applications

recently. Daniel Hale, chiefist at Realtor.com,

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