Dodd-Frank

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is expected to change how fees are defined for a key test to determine if a loan is a "qualified mortgage," according to observers.

In the old days the Fed's monetary policy and bank supervision were separate sides of the house. But its postcrisis capital rules for banks are blurring those boundaries.

U.S. banks today are safer, sounder, more secure, transparent, accountable and are performing their critical roles in the global economy.

Bankers are kidding themselves if they think bank-like supervision will ultimately catch up with nonbanks. Expect to compete on the current playing field, however uneven it may be.

Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry sought to reassure community bankers this week that the agency does not expect them to comply with its "heightened expectations" proposal aimed at bolstering risk management and improving governance at the biggest banks.

Banks are likely to protest new Basel rules that would require them to hold more capital against their exposure to central counterparties, but the standard is necessary to prevent the fast-growing counterparties from becoming "too big to fail."

Regulators slammed Bank of America on Wednesday with their toughest enforcement action to date on shady marketing and billing practices for add-on products like identity protection, forcing it to pay $772 million in restitution and fines. But Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officials indicated more actions are on their way.

WASHINGTON — Bank of America will pay $772 million to settle allegations by two regulators that it engaged in unfair fee collection and marketing related to credit card add-on products.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is projecting a nearly 8% decline in deposit insurance assessments this year with improvement in the indicators that determine institutions’ rates.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Monday announced a partnership with libraries and other federal regulators to provide librarians with unbiased financial literacy education materials.

Regulators announced Monday they would extend the conformance period by two years under the Volcker Rule for banks with legacy collateralized loan obligations, but at least one lawmaker is already saying the agencies should do more.

The controversial industry will soon be regulated for the first time on a nationwide basis. Here’s a guide to what's coming.

Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., a senior member of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced a bill Thursday designed to increase transparency at the Financial Stability Oversight Council.

Drew Breakspear spent decades as a banker before becoming the top industry enforcer in Florida. He is empathetic to banks, realizes the growing importance of virtual currencies like Bitcoin and believes more bankers should serve on the Fed's Board of Governors.

Former Rep. Barney Frank said regulators are going against congressional intent in their latest risk retention proposal, while former Sen. Chris Dodd acknowledged that their law would need some changes to make it work as envisioned.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has employed unusual practices in its efforts to guide the public's perception of it. They've included funding the trip of a consumer advocate who posed a question from the audience of one of its events and regularly releasing information at midnight to prevent critics from weighing in on the first wave of media coverage.

Despite efforts to reform the global banking system, the perception that the world's largest financial institutions are "too big to fail" has yet to be eliminated, according to a report issued Monday by the International Monetary Fund.

To make the process fairer to small banks, regulators should issue community bank summaries during the proposal stage, not when releasing final rules. They also should do more outreach to small banks and extend comment periods on major rules, writes the ABA's Hugh Carney.

The Federal Reserve Board's stress tests left a fair amount of blood on the floor for banks. Twenty-five of 30 passed, but the central bank rejected the capital plans of four banks based on qualitative factors, rather than straight-up numbers. Only one bank failed both rounds of stress tests based on its numerical score. Following are the banks that fared poorly:

An obscure bill in the House would go a long way to protect taxpayers by giving megabanks an incentive to deleverage and shrink. So why has it gone nowhere?