Law and regulation

Esther George, the new president of the Kansas City Fed, discusses her fears on overburdening small banks, whether too big to fail is over, and her approach to regulation.

The Federal Trade Commission expanded its case against an allegedly deceptive payday lender, charging that it sought to unfairly and deceptively manipulate the legal system and force consumers to travel to South Dakota to appear before a tribal court that did not have jurisdiction over their cases.

Sen. Grassley criticized the Department of Justice for its record-breaking fair lending settlement with Countrywide, saying it will not have a large enough impact on affected borrowers.

Actions by the CFPB and Fannie Mae could upend big banks' controversial practices of taking out insurance policies on borrowers' homes.

Savannah Bancorp Inc. in Georgia said that one of its bank has entered into a consent order with regulators and now must work to maintain capital levels and reduce problem assets.

WASHINGTON–The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has hit its stride on consumer complaints.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency acting director, Edward DeMarco, recently sent to Congress a strategic plan for the next phase of conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A new structure for housing finance requires congressional action, yet neither Congress nor the administration has come up with an acceptable plan in the three years since Fannie and Freddie were placed into conservatorship. It's far from clear that the DeMarco plan will get the job done.

Legislation that would let banks appeal examination findings to an outside arbiter has now been introduced in both houses of Congress.

An ongoing drama is unfolding: a David versus Goliath tale of sorts that pits a Riverside, Calif., family fighting to stay in their home against the weight of that elephant, otherwise known as "Freddie."

A Senate bill that would require states to collect information on the ultimate beneficiaries of corporations could reduce banks' burden in the fight against money laundering.

Big banks need passing grades on stress tests and healthy stocks before they start buying, Frank Cicero says.

The number of foreclosure sales spiked in January, as banks and government agencies started to clear the backlog of properties that have been in the foreclosure process for several years, according to data released Tuesday.

Patrick Gideon resigned as chairman of Reliance Bancshares Inc. in Missouri after objecting the company's decision to hire an outside consultant.

With the Senate expected to introduce legislation soon, the two rival industries are looking to have their priorities addressed.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will propose mortgage servicing rules this year that would restrict force-placed insurance and impose new disclosure requirements for adjustable-rate mortgages.

The Obama administration took further steps in their effort to put more money in the pockets of struggling borrowers by reducing certain fees paid on their mortgages for those who opt to refinance their homes.

The Oklahoma Senate passed a bill on Monday designed to curb consumer abuse by unregulated debt collectors. Senate Bill 1430, known as the Bartmann Ethical Debt Collection Act, passed the Senate 40 to 2 and now moves to the House.

On Feb. 29 one of the members of the Federal Open Markets Committee, Dallas Fed President Richard Fisher, called for the breakup of the top five U.S. Banks.

The gap between the U.S. and other countries on financial reform appears to be widening, with one leading analyst describing the gulf over tackling "too big to fail" as a "Grand Canyon."

At least 17 states are considering bills to create some form of state-owned bank. Backers say such a bank would partner with community banks and strengthening lending. Opponents believe forming the bank would be costly and redundant with what banks already offer.