Claire Williams

The Senate Banking Committee and House Oversight Committee will hold hearings next week on banks dropping customers, an issue that has gained currency from crypto enthusiasts in recent months.

Bankers applauded the news, which means that it's possible for crypto-custody efforts at depository institutions to scale.

A document circulated by the House Ways and Means Committee makes a number of suggestions for cutting federal spending, including revoking the federal tax exemption for credit unions and eliminating the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s orderly liquidation authority.

Scott Turner, President Trump's pick to head the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, faced opposition from Democrats on the Senate Banking Committee, but his nomination was nonetheless approved by a vote of 13-11.

The hedge fund manager and Trump advisor also lent support to the idea of reconsidering deposit insurance limits for some kinds of accounts, such as those used for payrolls.

Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, will appear before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing Thursday morning starting at 10:30 am.

The chairman of the financial institutions panel of the House Financial Services Committee said his newly reintroduced bill has a considerable chance of passing with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Thompson v. United States, which could decide whether the federal government can prosecute "misleading" in addition to "false" statements to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Leadership appointments and an influx of new crypto-friendly lawmakers suggest the 119th Congress could be the most fintech and crypto-friendly in years.

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., will take the No. 2 spot on the House Financial Services Committee, while Reps. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania and Mike Flood of Nebraska are elevated to subcommittee leadership.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said it would undertake a rule to regulate large participants in the personal loan market and consider a joint rulemaking with the Federal Reserve on check and ATM hold times.

Several crypto-friendly voices join the Senate Banking Committee from Nebraska and Ohio, while Democrats leave a banking policy expert off the House Financial Services Committee.

These banks are expected to draw regulatory scrutiny in the coming year. 

A passivity agreement with the FDIC means that when the asset management giant Vanguard owns more than 10% of an FDIC-overseen bank, it can't seek certain levels of control over the bank's behavior.

The Bank Policy Institute, the American Bankers Association and others said proposed changes would address "some if not all" of banks' concerns about stress tests, but they are filing the lawsuit to preserve their legal right to do so.

Flood insurance could hold up some home sales and lending, while major bank regulatory agencies will remain funded even if the government is unable to pass the necessary legislation before funding runs out.

The proposal has similar elements to Republican-led legislation, including a piece of a measure from Vice President-elect JD Vance.

Letters hint at more oversight of the banking agencies, as well as the Treasury Department, the CFPB and the Securities and Exchange Commission, under the Republican-controlled Senate.

A new question field on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's consumer complaint form is tied to an advisory opinion on customer service related to customers' requests for information, industry experts say.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said that, although the Google Pay app has been discontinued, the bureau can make the determination based on past behavior, and that the tech giant could decide to reenter the person-to-person payment space.