Brendan Pedersen

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The White House's pick for vice chair for supervision, Sarah Bloom Raskin, took the brunt of criticism from Republicans on Thursday. But it seemed to do little to sow doubt among the Senate Banking Committee's moderate Democrats about Raskin or fellow nominees Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson.

The draft legislation authored by Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., would allow "qualified" nonbanks to issue stablecoins and create an insurance fund to offset losses.

Republicans have knocked Sarah Bloom Raskin as too liberal on climate change and Lisa Cook as underqualified ahead of a Senate Banking Committee hearing Thursday. Meanwhile, a Democratic senator's illness threatens to stall nomination votes in the full chamber.

The business lobby has been uncharacteristically critical of some key White House picks like Sarah Bloom Raskin for Fed governor, a sign that banking policy is seen as having a more direct economic impact than in the past.

The Federal Reserve, FDIC, OCC and CFPB — increasingly under the leadership of Democratic appointees — are gearing up to regulate cryptocurrency, modernize the Community Reinvestment Act and give consumers more control of their personal data. Here's a look at the policy changes they're mulling.

A proposal by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network would create a pilot program allowing banks to do something they've long wanted: share suspicious activity reports with their own units in other countries. But many banks may take a pass if the agency doesn't ease the compliance requirements, experts say.

A long-awaited report from the Federal Reserve is a historic step toward the possible development of a central bank digital currency. But the Fed emphasized it would not create one without a clear directive from Congress and the White House.

Probably, observers say, but the clock is ticking now that the legislation’s author, Rep. Ed Perlmutter, has decided to leave Congress at year-end. And political wrangling could lead to significant alterations.

The Irvine, California, bank has been beset by compliance woes since early 2021, when state regulators issued an order requiring it to bolster its capital and reduce the concentration of its commercial real estate footprint.

The Federal Reserve Board would become far more diverse if Sarah Bloom Raskin, Philip Jefferson and Lisa Cook are confirmed by the Senate. Jefferson and Cook are respected economists seen as likely to get the nod, but Republicans will challenge Raskin's assertions that bank regulators can play a vital role in combating climate change.