Stacy Kaper

WASHINGTON — After two weeks of speculation that Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd might give up his gavel to chair the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, sources said late Tuesday the Connecticut Democrat is expected to retain his banking post.

Lawmakers return from summer recess today with grand plans to overhaul the structure of financial services regulation, but they are up against a rapidly dwindling legislative calendar without a clear consensus on how to proceed.

Lawmakers return from summer recess today with grand plans to overhaul the structure of financial services regulation, but they are up against a rapidly dwindling legislative calendar without a clear consensus on how to proceed.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said Wednesday that he plans a hearing Sept. 10 on the Securities and Exchange Commission's handling of the Madoff fraud case that is meant to influence the committee's regulatory reform plans.

WASHINGTON — Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd is actively considering a regulatory reform bill that would create a single federal regulator for financial institutions, stripping supervisory powers away from existing agencies, according to sources on Capitol Hill.

For Sen. Chris Dodd, the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy not only means losing his closest friend in the Senate, it also creates a dilemma for the Connecticut Democrat's political future and raises fresh questions about the fate of regulatory reform.

Oprah's magazine names FDIC chief Sheila Bair the most powerful woman; Barney Frank and protester square off; James Lockhart reflects on private-equity role; and more.

In the year and a half since the Tennessee Republican Bob Corker joined the Senate Banking Committee, he has quickly become a key player, sharply questioning witnesses and working with Democrats to pass legislation.

Six degrees of separation from Eugene Ludwig; online poll suggests Ben Bernanke will get a second term as Fed chairman; top FDIC lobbyist takes a job with the SEC.

Limited data collection and inconsistent oversight among depository institutions and nonbank lenders are hamstringing regulators' enforcement of fair-lending laws, according to a Government Accountability Office report released Wednesday.

Senate Banking Committee members introduced legislation Thursday that would give the FDIC the authority it has been seeking to resolve bank holding companies.

The House Financial Services Committee approved a bill 40 to 28 on Tuesday that was intended to better align executive compensation to performance, taking the first action on a piece of the Obama administration's financial regulatory reform plan.

Sen. Jim Bunning, a staunch critic of the Federal Reserve Board and a member of the Senate Banking Committee, announced Monday he would not seek reelection when his term expires next year.

WASHINGTON — As President Obama's regulatory reform proposal sputters, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair stepped up with an alternative strategy Thursday that dodges many major political obstacles and could rally support for the plan.

Key elements of the plan, including handing the Federal Reserve Board power to monitor systemic risks and eliminating thrift and other specialty charters, appear dead.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank said Tuesday that he will postpone next week's planned vote on legislation to create a consumer protection agency until after the August recess.

Industry lobbyists accept that they are unlikely to stop the creation of a new consumer protection agency, but many are confident they can curtail its powers.

Frank Issues Compensation Legislation

'Plain vanilla' joins 'toxic assets' and 'zombie banks' in the financial crisis lexicon; Treasury looking for humor — literally; and more.

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