Joe Adler

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a stark warning to mortgage lenders and brokers on Monday, arguing they must stop running "potentially misleading advertisements," including those targeting veterans and older Americans.

WASHINGTON — State regulators in Georgia closed the $125 million-asset Hometown Community Bank in Braselton late Friday, stretching the industry's failure toll this year to 50.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it will delay the effective date of new disclosures about escrow accounts and other items as the agency crafts a broader overhaul of mortgage forms.

A Holiday album from John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John may spur a rash of bank failures and spur the Fed to act, according to the satirical newspaper The Onion.

While it's unlikely Congress will enact a bill solely devoted to extending full FDIC coverage for transaction accounts, the "lame-duck" session does allow several opportunities for renewing the deposit insurance program.

The Senate late Thursday confirmed the top two senior officials to lead the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. following months of uncertainty.

Tom Hoenig, a FDIC board member, reiterated his doubts that too big to fail has been eliminated, and offered his prescriptions for strengthening the system.

WASHINGTON — Bank and credit union regulatory agencies issued additional guidance late Wednesday endorsing "prudent efforts" by financial institutions to aid customers affected by Hurricane Sandy.

With financial institutions worried the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will hinder business innovation, the agency on Wednesday argued that one of its mandates is the exact opposite.

The New York Democrat, a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee, has secured his role as vice chair of the Democratic conference and chair of the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Center for another term.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Wednesday announced an April 2014 closing date for its Jacksonville, Fla., office established during the financial crisis to handle elevated failures.

Fed Gov. Elizabeth Duke said heightened burden from Dodd-Frank and Basel rules could make mortgage lending a less viable option for community banks, which make up a "significant" portion of the market.

In update of the FDIC's community bank initiatives, officials reveal a Web-based feature designed to ensure examiner data requests are germane to individual exams.

The elections on Nov. 6 mostly delivered the status quo, but raised a host of questions about how lawmakers will tackle the fiscal cliff, big bank breakups and housing finance reform.

Although the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s yearlong study of challenges and opportunities for community banks is expected to yield a final report next month, the agency will release an update on some of its findings this week.

Although bankers want full insurance for certain deposits to be extended, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. encouraged institutions Monday to tell customers in advance that that insurance may expire.

The CFPB, FDIC and FHFA face a number of potential scenarios affecting their leadership structure depending on who wins Tuesday night.

Regulators closed the $225 million-asset Heritage Bank of Florida in Lutz, and the $924 million-asset Citizens First National Bank in Princeton, Ill. The two failures were estimated to cost the FDIC a combined $111 million.

Parkmobile USA, which had drawn fire for suggesting the debit interchange cap was behind its fee increase for D.C. customers, on Thursday issued an apology for the statement.

Federal bank regulators gave their examiners new guidelines Wednesday for supervising technology service providers.