Christopher Whalen

Policymakers should spend more time focused on limiting risky activity through measures like the Volcker Rule than on demanding ever-higher levels of bank capital.

Weak profits and the threat of false claims charges are keeping banks out of the market for loans guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Policymakers should differentiate between housing finance-related issues of real importance to the greater public interest, and those that concern only special interests.

The expansion of the Federal Reserve’s portfolio of Treasury debt and mortgage-backed securities has a bigger impact on the credit markets than paying banks interest on excess reserves.

After such a period of collective euphoria following the November election, how does the manager of a large institution explain a declining stock price to investors?

An amended proprietary trading ban could limit conflicts for firms with both lending and securities arms, and prevent large banks from using deposits for speculative activity.

Rather than address systemic risk with impractical capital requirements, regulators can make a few subtle changes that will force the shrinkage of the largest banks gradually over time.

A lot of analytical horsepower is being spent on what will happen to the markets after the election, but it seems to make more sense to talk about what will not change for consumers, investors and financial institutions.

A lot of analytical horsepower is being spent on what will happen to the markets after the election, but it seems to make more sense to talk about what will not change for consumers, investors and financial institutions.

Contrary to expectations about growing mortgage lending volumes, current industry trends suggest a gradual reduction in capacity for both lending and servicing that should alarm policymakers.

In addition to credit risk from leveraged loans and other types of assets, an added worry for participations is how they would be treated in a failure of the originating bank.

With agencies created by the Dodd-Frank Act embroiled in court battles and continued questions dealing with "too big to fail," can anyone honestly say the reform law is working?

Not only are widening credit spreads for both banks and the companies they lend to a red flag, but the financial sector is also feeling a hit from lower energy prices.