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Heads of the three major bank regulatory agencies made their case for why the recently finalized framework implementing the Community Reinvestment Act is not all bad for the banks subjected to it.

The small businesses that drive the U.S. economy and local economies throughout our nation are being "hung out to dry" by regulators' push for increased capital requirements, according to the head of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.

The Treasury Department is expanding a whistleblower program, which currently deals only with anti-money-laundering violations, to include tips from employees of financial institutions that result in sanctions-related penalties.

Amazon, Apple, Meta, Alphabet and X have all been ramping up their ability to offer payments services, loans and other traditional bank products.

Banks have been working to sell portfolios of commercial-property debt as they seek to manage their exposure to the sector. Soaring borrowing costs have weighed on valuations, with commercial real estate prices slumping 16% in September from a peak in March 2022, according to real estate analytics firm Green Street. 

This week the Small Business Administration followed through with a controversial policy change by granting access to its flagship 7(a) program to three additional nonbank lenders. These new participants vowed to ramp up their small-business lending efforts.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council enhanced its powers to designate nonbank financial institutions as systemically important Friday, emphasizing transparency and the need to protect financial stability.

The 16-year-old site struggled to monetize, but experts said personal financial management products should focus on engagement.

Amazon's buy now/pay later partnership with Affirm expands; NAFCU-CUNA merger gets affirmative vote from members; expense-reporting firm Navan rolls out European bank partnerships; and more in the weekly banking news roundup.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr says that while there has been some opposition to the recent overhaul of Community Reinvestment Act regulations, he expects that banks, supervisors and communities will adapt and thrive once it's fully implemented.