American Bankers Association

Rising populist sentiment in the Republican Party means that banks will have to work harder to get the same kinds of wins they did in 2017.

The community bank CEO and Most Powerful Women to Watch honoree sits for an exit interview on what bankers face as her term running the American Bankers Association ends.

The federal Project Fortress initiative provides defensive tools for banks. Community banking groups and regulators' associations say small banks in particular need the free and accessible help.

The ABA is testing an information-exchange network to allow banks to share their fraud data with each other. Companies including Baselayer are also building solutions.

The American Bankers Association's latest Credit Conditions Index points to a drop in lending and a rise in loan delinquencies through the second and third quarters.

The trade groups, including the American Bankers Association, allege the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau exceeded its authority by claiming discrimination in any financial product violates the federal prohibition on "unfair, deceptive or abusive acts or practices."

A House member suggested she and other party moderates are open to revamping or even scrapping a plan that would require banks to report customer account information to the Internal Revenue Service.

The financial sector had been outraged over a Senate proposal requiring data submissions for accounts with at least $600 of inflows and outflows. House leaders are aiming to raise that threshold to broaden support, but industry groups say they still oppose the idea.

The largest financial institutions say the agency’s proposal to require public companies to disclose their contributions and vulnerability to climate change is consistent with investor demand. Community banks say it would create an unnecessary regulatory burden.

The agency's plan would strengthen requirements that banks use a minimum amount of their real estate for the business of banking, but three grade groups say banks need flexibility in the pandemic to manage occupancy.