Law and regulation

Wells Fargo contends that a federal lawsuit over its lending practices before and after the housing crisis contravenes the terms of the multistate mortgage settlement.

Of the eight U.S. banks that must face a capital surcharge under Basel III, only Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase have to pay the highest current level of 2.5%.

A group of some of the nation’s largest merchants and retail trade groups asked a federal judge Thursday to reject the proposed settlement of a lawsuit over credit card swipe fees.

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.

Independent foreclosure reviews at the major banks were meant to compensate wronged homeowners and restore some faith in the integrity of mortgage servicing. Instead, the process has become mired in questions of objectivity.

Visa seems to have weathered the most severe effects of new rules that shook its hold on the U.S. debit card market, though the company still faces a government investigation into the methods it is using to recoup lost revenue.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Federal Housing Finance Agency said Thursday they are teaming up to create a first-of-its-kind mega-database of mortgages to track market trends and support policymaking research.

Former FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair sees little to criticize in the approach that regulators took toward private equity.

Subordinated debt could be an option for community banks that need to raise capital but want to avoid dilute existing shareholders. Still, naysayers point out that many community banks prefer the simplicity and liquidity that comes from equity.

Efforts should clarify recourse risk for originators and underwriters, help realign supply and demand in the housing market and assist homeowners.

The National Credit Union Administration has liquidated Women's Southwest Federal Credit Union in Dallas.

Few legislators will have much appetite for setting bank capital policy, but it would be a gross error to mistake that discretion for lack of interest in what those policies will do to local economies.

The orderly liquidation authority of the Dodd-Frank Act requires a "minimum recovery" for creditors of troubled systemically important financial institutions, i.e. no less then what they would have received in normal bankruptcy proceedings. Rules to implement that standard could reassure the markets, say industry observers.

Why a common tax strategy is about to get much more complex for global banks.

Nine major U.S. cities now require banks to report on their lending activity under responsible-banking laws.

Was anything a done deal under Dodd-Frank? Not according to the speakers at American Banker's Regulatory Symposium, who hope to see key elements of the reform bill revisited.

Since the financial crisis hit in 2008, there have been at least 187 private equity transactions involving banks, worth more than $31 billion in all. For better or worse, these new investors are changing the industry. Here's how.

Private equity, with its attraction to distress and its emphasis on returns, makes for a convenient villain.

Even before the recent increases, prices Fannie and Freddie charge for credit risk were far higher than when their share of originations was at a low.

Lenders must have their paperwork in order before filing a foreclosure, the Supreme Court of Ohio ruled Wednesday in dismissing a lawsuit brought against Duane and Julie Schwartzwald, homeowners in Xenia, Ohio, by Freddie Mac.