Neil Haggerty

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council says bank accounts and information systems have become more vulnerable as mobile and other technologies have expanded. It issued guidelines on detailed steps financial institutions should take to heighten security.

Banks are traditionally the target of anti-money-laundering regulations and law enforcement’s efforts to crack down on illicit finance. As the cryptocurrency sector grows, policymakers may subject it to customer identification requirements and other measures, analysts say.

Democratic leaders in Congress want to extend the interest rate limit applying to service members to all consumers. Republicans and industry representatives warn such a broad restriction will hamper lenders' ability to price risk.

Democratic proposals to offer free accounts, restrict overdraft fees and cap interest rates have zero chance of passage. But analysts say lawmakers’ push for products that help consumers is influencing some banks’ decisions to institute reforms on their own.

A Senate hearing highlighted the two parties' starkly different views of digital assets, with Democrats warning of price manipulation and Republicans saying the government should just get out of the way.

The president's working group on financial markets met in advance of a report expected within months on growth in digital currencies pegged to the U.S. dollar.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, the ranking GOP member of the House Financial Services Committee, requested a hearing with Dave Uejio to address policy actions “traditionally ... reserved for a Senate-confirmed Director.”

The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently became the third agency along with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without a Senate-confirmed leader. But analysts say the appointment of interim chiefs gives the administration even more control over regulatory initiatives.

All public companies could be on the hook for detailing climate-related risks — including those of clients. The data-gathering burden might be especially heavy for banks, industry officials say, because they lend to and invest in so many companies across so many industries.

Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York, the No. 2 Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, is trying again to bar banks from charging customers more than once per month for overdrawing, and to set other limits.