Brendan Pedersen covered Capitol Hill and regulatory politics for American Banker until September 2022. From 2019-2021, he covered the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as well as fintech policy. Originally from Chicagoland, he was previously a staff writer for Kiplinger's Personal Finance and covered local business affairs in Denver, Colorado for BusinessDen.
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Industry groups are adamant that regulators must make it easier for banks to merge in order to compete with nonbanks, while consumer advocates say bank mergers are too easy and hurt the consumer beyond raising the price of credit.
February 28 -
The Federal Reserve's capital guidance for S corporations is hindering some community development banks' access to the Treasury's $9 billion Emergency Capital Investment Program. The Fed has offered exemptions in the past, so why isn't it doing so now?
February 23 -
Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee skipped its scheduled vote on five Federal Reserve appointees, preventing a quorum. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell echoed concerns raised about nominee Sarah Bloom Raskin, saying she wants the Fed to become an “ideological left-wing activist body” that interferes with private-sector credit decisions.
February 15 -
Republicans urged federal authorities to take a light-touch approach to regulating stablecoins during a Senate Banking Committee hearing, while Democrats intensified demands for strong consumer protection.
February 15 -
A crucial centrist vote among Democrats, the Montana lawmaker and Senate Banking Committee member predicts the full chamber will support Raskin's nomination for vice chair for supervision of the Federal Reserve Board if she advances out of committee on Tuesday.
February 14 -
A federal judge last week upheld "valid when made" rules that support such arrangements. But analysts say an appeals fight is likely, and new leadership at the OCC and FDIC could change the agencies' view of interest rate exportation across state lines.
February 13 -
Martin Gruenberg, who became acting chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. this week, has named a chief of staff, chief operating officer and general counsel. Their predecessors stepped down last week along with former Chair Jelena McWilliams.
February 9 -
A bipartisan group of House Financial Services Committee members says nonbanks as well as insured depository institutions should be allowed to issue cryptocurrencies pegged to U.S. dollars. That stance is a notable departure from financial regulators' recommendations.
February 8 -
Martin Gruenberg, who on Monday took the reins of the agency for the third time, vowed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. would set tougher standards for bank mergers, cryptocurrency-related activities and risk management tied to climate change. It will remain committed to CRA reform and support for minority banks, he said.
February 7 -
Though Jelena McWilliams is leaving the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Friday, her comment could carry weight among regulators and lawmakers mulling the creation of a legal framework for private digital currencies and a federal insurance fund for them.
February 3
