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The U.S. Postal Service's recent data breach, Federal Housing Finance Agency operations and more will be addressed in hearings this week by key House and Senate committees as Congress' lame-duck session proceeds.

The postal service, whose inspector general office has proposed that the service consider offering consumer financial services, reported last week that more than 800,000 of its employees could be affected by a recent data breach and that some customers may also be affected. This Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, U.S. Postal Service and Census will hold a hearing on USPS data security in light of the recent breach.

Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe recently announced he will retire in February. He will be succeeded by Megan Brennan, the Postal Service's chief operating officer and executive vice president.

Today, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance is reviewing the impact of international regulatory standards on the competitiveness of U.S. insurers.

Also this week:

• Tomorrow, Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt will testify before the Senate Banking Committee on the agency's stability, growth and affordability within the mortgage market.
• Also tomorrow, the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance will hold a hearing on the opportunities for a private, competitive flood insurance market.
• Thursday and Friday, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations will look into Wall Street banks' involvement with physical commodities.
• On Friday, the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection is holding a hearing on improving financial institutions' supervision and examining regulatory capture. New York Federal Reserve Bank President and CEO William Dudley will testify.