Bill Pulte, who runs the Federal Housing Finance Agency under President Donald Trump, confirmed Thursday that he filed a criminal referral against Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook for alleged mortgage fraud.

Philadelphia Fed researchers in a 2023 report assessed the number of “fraudulent investors” in the mortgage market, which they defined as those who had more than one owner-occupied home purchase loan within four quarters after the first one was originated.

President Trump has been using the bully pulpit of his presidency to go after the Federal Reserve with a vengeance, and Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) chief William Pulte has acted as his megaphone-in-chief throughout his pressure campaign.

A few weeks ago, Bill Pulte appeared to be struggling to maintain influence with the White House. The head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency was having to jostle for power in the planning for Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s potential initial public offering.

We partnered with Palantir at Fannie Mae,” Pulte said on Bloomberg Television. Pulte had urged Attorney General Pam Bondi to open a probe into Cook over a pair of mortgages allegedly claiming primary occupancy in a letter first reported by Bloomberg on Tuesday night.

According to preliminary closing data, the S&P 500 gained 96.73 points, or 1.52%, to 6,466.55. The Nasdaq Composite added 396.22 points, or 1.88%, to finish at 21,496.54. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 841.14 points, or 1.88%, to 45,626.64 — its first record close of the year.