Law and regulation

Even after adjusting for tax differences, S Corp banks generally outperform their C Corp peers.

The late Hyman Minsky's historic research on financial crises remains timeless.

Abacus Federal Savings Bank and more than a dozen of its former employees are facing criminal charges related to a scheme in which it allegedly falsified information on mortgage applications so that unqualified borrowers could secure loans.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Thursday it was seeking additional comments on the ability-to-repay rule, dashing expectations that a final rule would come by the end of June.

Newly initiated foreclosures by the Federal Housing Administration jumped 247% in April from a year earlier, while the overall number of foreclosure starts fell 3.1% in the same period.

The bill has drawn scrutiny because it would help only one bank, but its congressional supporters brushed off criticism Thursday.

The wash trading suit against the Royal Bank of Canada suggests that the Commodities Futures Trading Commission is taking a broader look at intra-bank trading — and using enforcement to solidify its new authority over exchanges.

The JOBS Act opened the door for more banks to deregister from the SEC. So far, more than 60 banks and thrifts have filed to deregister less than two months after the law was signed.

Preferred Bank (PFBC) of Los Angeles has signed a memorandum of understanding with regulators after a more formal consent order was lifted.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's chief is on his way out. Banks may soon be hearing a lot more from this agency than they have in the last few years.

The Community Mortgage Lenders of America wants the two government-sponsored enterprises preserved in their current form.

The Senate Banking Committee announced Thursday that it had pushed back its hearing with JPMorgan Chase (JPM) chairman and chief executive Jamie Dimon to June 13.

The regulators' proposal doesn't consider accounting rules for deciding which trades are proprietary and which ones get the exemption for hedging. That leaves plenty of room for regulatory arbitrage by banks.

The dust-up over Jim Freis' dismissal as director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reflects a fundamental disagreement between Treasury and Fincen over the role the agency plays and just how independent it should be.

American Banker's metro Washington reporters found themselves working above a crime scene on Wednesday, after a PNC bank branch in the same building was robbed.

But the consulting firm says the sector remains an integral part of the U.S. financial system and cautions against overregulating it.

The Board of Governors will hold a public meeting to vote on a set of proposals that will implement global banking rules, known as Basel III.

Rep. Barney Frank has introduced a bill that would prohibit financial executives from purchasing insurance to protect themselves from compensation clawback penalties.

The American Bankers Association joined trade groups in every state Wednesday to urge passage of a bill easing fee disclosure rules at automated tellers.

Banks received two years to bring automated teller machines into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. As soon as the deadline passed, plaintiffs' lawyers pounced on the stragglers.