An unprecedented rise in enforcement actions against banks has caught even longtime industry observers off guard.

There are plenty of stories about people changing careers when their jobs in finance disappeared. But according to LinkedIn, the social networking Web site, people who transitioned to other industries were the exception. Most stayed in the financial space.

While the Obama administration has punted into next year any decision on how to reform the housing finance giants, there's no shortage of opinion about what should be done.

As the winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics and a longtime economics professor at Princeton, there is little doubt Paul Krugman knows more about financial services than most. Which makes it all the more unfortunate that his recent op-ed arguing against passage of financial reform is so, well, uninformed.

Host Jon Stewart's extensively detailed rant mocked both credit cardholders and issuers for their behavior. "All we needed was the information ... Like when they put up the calorie charts at McDonald's ... and you continued to eat no matter what."

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have been stepping up their repurchase requests since being put into conservatorship by the government in September 2008, as they try to manage the mountain of delinquencies on their books. But as those requests multiply, it's clear lenders aren't just rolling over.

ICBA chief Cam Fine is having a field day with Wells Fargo's new ad campaign, which the fourth-largest banking company is using to tag itself as the "largest community bank."

More community banks appear interested in bidding for failed peers as their own health improves and the number of targets is expected to multiply. Do you think they have a shot?

With $30 billion pledged to help community banks boost small-business lending, do you think struggling community banks should have access to the funds? Let us know.

While U.S. policymakers are looking at ways to make credit more available to small businesses, a survey by the National Federation of Independent Business portrays the credit crunch as less of a current challenge for its constituents, and more of a potential one — if fundamental business conditions improve and borrowing needs increase.

The administration's decision to embrace Paul Volcker's ideas about limiting the growth and risk-taking of big banks could indicate a willingness to entertain ideas that it sees as more than just a quick fix.

The benefits in terms of driving new customer relationships and deposit growth may outweigh the cost.

EagleBank Chairman and CEO Ronald Paul is taking Arianna Huffington’s “Move Your Money” campaign to the next level: he wants local governments to shift their deposits to community banks, too.

Tishman Speyer Properties just handed more ammunition to those who argue that homeowners have no particular moral or civic obligation to stay current on their mortgage payments.

It is uncertain whether the Volcker Rule would lead to reduced risk-taking – or more. The proposed restrictions also do not appear to eliminate the problem of “too big to fail,” which might be more accurately described as “too important to fail.”