Victoria Finkle

In back-to-back hearings this week, lawmakers acknowledged the promise of virtual currencies like Bitcoin and the risks of overregulation along with the danger of abuse. Laws on the books may suffice to address the latter, for now.

A detailed look at how the freshman senator from Massachusetts has used her first 10 months in office, including her own insights from an interview with American Banker.

The House Financial Services Committee passed several bills on Thursday, including regulatory relief legislation for community banks and credit unions.

The Government Accountability Office is the first of two highly-anticipated reports that details the benefits the largest banks receive from being considered "too big to fail."

Sen. Elizabeth Warren rallied supporters on Tuesday to help end "too big to fail" and back her bill to separate commercial banking from riskier activities, in a fiery speech before consumer advocates.

WASHINGTON — The battle over how to craft affordable housing requirements as part of mortgage finance reform took center stage Thursday as witnesses at a Senate Banking Committee hearing sparred over the issue.

The battle over how to craft affordable housing requirements as part of mortgage finance reform took center stage on Thursday as witnesses at a Senate Banking Committee hearing sparred over the issue, including whether dedicated funds should be subject to Congressional appropriations.

The Senate Banking Committee dug into the details Tuesday of how to ensure that community banks retain access to a reformed housing finance system as agreement over a broad approach began to emerge.

WASHINGTON — The Senate Banking Committee dug into the details Tuesday of how a reformed housing finance system can ensure access to credit unions and community banks, as agreement over a broad approach is beginning to emerge.

The Senate Banking Committee continues to discuss housing finance reform options even as efforts to confirm Congressman Mel Watt to run the Federal Housing Finance Agency stall.

The House passed the Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act that would reduce the restrictions under section 716 of the reform law, which required banks to spin off risky swaps out of depository institutions to subsidiaries and affiliates. The measure passed the chamber by a bipartisan vote of 292-122, including 70 Democrats.

Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., faces an uphill confirmation battle this week to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency, but it's unlikely to be the end of that war.

A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House and Senate has forged a deal to delay flood insurance premium increases that went into effect earlier this month.

The Treasury Department's Michael Stegman further bolstered the Obama administration's support of Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency on Tuesday, describing how the agency's policies must intersect with mortgage finance reform efforts in Congress.

WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren weighed in publicly for the first time on the substance of the housing finance reform debate on Tuesday, describing the elements she supports in a new system while stopping short of backing a specific plan.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren weighed in publicly for the first time on the substance of the housing finance reform debate on Tuesday, endorsing a limited but explicit government guarantee, strong underwriting rules and servicer oversight, and secondary market access for smaller institutions.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has started the process to end debate on Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., President Obama's nominee to head the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

With Chairman Hensarling's plan to overhaul the mortgage finance market stuck in limbo, several Democrats have begun work on alternative proposals that could further divide support for the GOP bill.

Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said Thursday that the agency has no immediate plans to lower the size of the loans the government-sponsored enterprises can buy, though he left the door open for future reductions.

Two senior House Democrats introduced legislation Thursday designed to give regulators additional authority to go after bank executives at institutions involved in money laundering scandals.