Law and regulation

U.S. Bancorp in Minneapolis lowered its loan-growth expectations for the fourth quarter to reflect borrower uncertainty about the election, the fiscal cliff and the overall economic environment, CEO Richard Davis says.

Repeal Dodd-Frank and replace it with what? "Possible replacements are unlikely to work or to be politically feasible," writes Steven M. Davidoff. And big banks have been getting bigger because it makes economic sense for them, not because Dodd-Frank is spurring them on, he argues.

Former Acting Comptroller of the Currency Julie Williams has learned one key lesson she hopes all bankers will heed: When faced with tough decisions, do the right thing.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus released a new report Wednesday attacking the Dodd-Frank reform law's "too big to fail" provisions, two days after Rep. Barney Frank defended them.

Comptroller Tom Curry remains committed to a push for higher capital levels, but he also suggested this week that agencies are considering other ways to reduce Basel III’s burden on community banks.

In response to repeated charges from Republicans that the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act enshrines too-big-to-fail policies, Barney Frank issued a paper analyzing how the legislation ends them.

Dodd Frank 1073, which covers remittances and U.S. initiated international payments, is one of more than two dozen payments related rules or regulations either issued in 2012 or with a pending deadline during the next year, which cover most payment types.

Although the consumer bureau is appearing closer to a final plan on defining 'qualified mortgages,' neither lenders nor consumer groups seem very satisfied.

Former FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair called Elizabeth Warren a "friend," who "would be a good senator."

Vikram Pandit may have saved Citigroup, but he was never a natural fit as its long-term leader. Now the board is betting Michael Corbat, a company lifer, has the chops.

If your bank is gung-ho to issue prepaid cards, think again. Focus on how to retain checking account customers, rather than emulating Green Dot and Chase and issuing fee-based "prepaid cards" as a new (already outdated) product.

Some Oklahomans may be thankful their state crafted its own settlement with the nation's biggest banks over foreclosure practices following the housing bust.

The CFPB may have found a middle way on the safe harbor vs. "rebuttable presumption" debate in the forthcoming "qualified mortage standard. Lenders might get protection from lawsuits about ability-to-pay considerations, but only when the interest rate is in an average range

The Massachusetts Democrat released an analysis late Monday defending the Dodd-Frank reform law, arguing it sufficiently addressed "too big to fail" institutions and taking issue with criticism Mitt Romney made during the first presidential debate.

The process for assigning Legal Entity Identifiers is causing conflict on the global regulatory scene. At issue: Who gets to assign them? Some folks are just glad the CFTC is rolling ahead with a plan, but members of the official implementation group have concerns about how it might hinder broad adoption.

A report from the CFPB's ombudsman found that problems endemic to mortgage servicing are prevalent in student loan servicing as well.

Bankers question the fairness of some compliance penalties charged by the Small Business Lending Fund, which added 3% to its returns through June 30.

Without one, community banks will face increased risk of litigation they cannot afford. This could push many of them out of the mortgage market.

The Dodd-Frank Act puts lots of new requirements on hedge funds. Are the new regulations cramping fund managers' style? A new survey says no, and that the funding industry is "adjusting well."

The gap between consumer and secondary market mortgage rates has blown out to a 12-year high, as this interactive graphic shows. Lenders have trouble explaining what will replace mortgage earnings once production fizzles, however.