Ebrima Santos Sanneh

White House National Economic Council NEC Director Kevin Hassett endorsed insulating the Fed from political pressure but echoed Trump allies' calls for reevaluating its mission.

Regional banks lead the comeback, large banks improved and survey respondents indicated firm reputations depend on banks exercising ethical conduct going forward, amid the Trump administration's deregulatory push.

The industry made widespread gains in reputability this year, with regional banks in particular regaining trust and admiration at levels not seen in nearly a decade.

Sen. Ron Wyden says Treasury is sitting on thousands of Epstein-related banking records including wire transfers, payments and suspicious activity reports that could expose the financial industry to scrutiny over its involvement in Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme.

Most big banks saw modest reductions in their requirements following this year's stress tests. The results come as the Fed prepares to smooth year-to-year swings with a new averaging rule.

Online lenders are urging the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to force banks to disclose all account closures to the agency, following an executive order earlier this month. 

The agency says the move, which it made pursuant to a Trump directive, reverses Obama-era policies and requires banks to restore access to customers allegedly cut off for political or ideological reasons.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Tuesday that bank profits slipped slightly in the second quarter as the Capital One-Discover merger drove provisions higher. Loan growth, deposits and insurance fund reserves showed positive signs despite ongoing credit issues.

Bank industry advocates, housing groups and CRA veterans say the rule is overly complexity and burdensome, but even they agree pre-approving CRA-eligible activities was a good idea.

A federal appeals court granted the government's request to pause a ruling that briefly restored Democratic National Credit Union Administration board members Todd Harper and Tanya Otsuka, leaving the regulator with a single board member pending appeal.