Wall Street’s push to refill office towers across the country has been derailed again. This time it’s the highly transmissible omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus that’s forced executives to rethink their plans.

Goldman Sachs Group, one of Wall Street’s staunchest advocates of returning employees to offices, will make COVID-19 vaccination booster shots compulsory as the firm stands by its workplace philosophy through surging infection rates in New York.

Average per-loan charges last year were little changed despite the addition of a new temporary fee for refinancing. Those for loan-to-value ratios above 80%, home-purchase financing and adjustable-rate mortgages only rose slightly.

President Biden extended the pause on federal student loan repayments by another three months as the U.S. faces a fresh wave of COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant, removing a near-term threat to millions of Americans’ finances.

Citigroup told staffers in the New York City metropolitan area to work from home again through the holidays if they are able, citing the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the region.

The decision comes after New York state instituted a mask mandate for businesses that don’t require proof of vaccination.

The new omicron strain is prompting more financial institutions to extend mask mandates in the workplace and remote work schedules.

The expectation that people will want social distancing and ever-expanding digital banking options well after the pandemic passes is informing branch architecture at banks and credit unions.