The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is pushing for private student lenders and the government to help lower payments for borrowers after receiving thousands of complaints from consumers.

The Dodd-Frank Act's ban on pure commercial ownership of industrial loan companies is set to expire in July. American Banker editors discuss the pros and cons of allowing a commercial enterprise like Wal-Mart into the banking business at a time when the previous argument against doing so has been turned on its head.

Related article: War Over Retailer Banks Could Reignite, With or Without Walmart

Jim Bullard, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, is better known for his monetary policy positions, but he is joining the chorus of policymakers that argue the big banks need to be broken up.

According to a paper released by the American Enterprise Institute, the Dodd-Frank Act, which was originally designed to focus solely on the largest financial institutions, will hurt small banks as well.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a complaint Tuesday in New York's federal district court alleging that Mission Settlement Agency of New York and Premier Consultant Group LLC in New Jersey charged more than a thousand consumers millions of dollars in unnecessary, upfront fees.

The House Financial Services Committee passed nine bills on Tuesday with provisions that would make key changes to Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Chief Executive Brian Moynihan faced angry comments from more than 30 shareholders, but most criticized the company's financing of the coal industry, not its mortgage servicing or foreclosure practices.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., introduced a bill Wednesday that would temporarily allow students eligible for federally subsidized Stafford loans to borrow at the same interest rate that the largest institutions receive through the Federal Reserve discount window.

New reports from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac show the value of a government guarantee on multifamily mortgages.

Monarch Community Bancorp (MCBF) in Coldwater, Mich., plans to raise $16.5 million through a private placement. The $197 million-asset company has hired two investment banks to lead the placement, Monarch said Tuesday. The offering is contingent on Monarch's completing a transaction with the Treasury Department to retire the $8.2 million of preferred stock it issued through the Troubled Asset Relief Program at a discounted price of $4.5 million. …

Freddie Mac will pay $7 billion to the Treasury Department after reporting the second-largest quarterly net income in the company's history.

An analysis of FDIC data shows the leverage ratio did little to distinguish banks that have failed since 2008 from those that remained healthy.

The House Financial Services Committee passed nine bills largely related to the derivatives market on Tuesday, exposing critical divisions among Democrats on the panel.

The case for a national housing finance commission.

A bank cited by regulators for lending policies allegedly favoring minorities and women over white males is proof for some of just how frustrating it is for institutions to comply with fair lending laws.