Law and regulation

As online business lenders grow in number, size and prominence, a new trade group is being launched to represent their interests in Washington.

Freedom Bank in Columbia Falls, Mont., has been released from a consent order that the FDIC and the Montana Division of Banking and Financial Institutions had implemented in December 2009.

Bank of America, Barclays and a dozen more banks must face investor claims that they rigged a benchmark used in the sales of interest-rate derivatives and other financial instruments.

Some of today's credit products and practices risk leaving consumers trapped in a cycle of debt.

San Francisco Fed President John Williams discusses the potential for new fintech products to make predatory lending easier, whether big banks need to be broken up, and the likelihood of another recession.

Restrictions on bank ownership act as a de facto poison pill, discouraging potential activist investors from challenging underperforming bank managers. Ease those restrictions and the market will do its job.

WASHINGTON – Four Democratic senators sent a letter on Thursday to federal financial regulators asking for clear guidance on how banks can serve the marijuana industry.

Nandita Bakhshi and Ellen Alemany discuss strategy; Beth Mooney strikes a deal; a Lehman Sister recounts her experience as a woman at the top of Wall Street in its doomsday; and HSBC sets a goal to have equal gender representation in certain areas by 2020. Plus, some interesting research on equal pay for women, and good grief, Raymond Moore.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

Five policy heavy-hitters issued a proposal this week to merge Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into a single government corporation as a way to move beyond the conservatorships of the two government-sponsored enterprises.

Experts see the British bank's decision to downsize its African stake as another example of money-laundering concerns and other risks prompting institutions to get out of emerging markets.

Two senior GOP lawmakers are warning regulators against preferential treatment for housing advocates and nonprofits in sales of nonperforming, government-guaranteed mortgages.

Hackers linked to the Iranian government launched a series of cyber-attacks on U.S. financial institutions including Bank of America Corp. and the New York Stock Exchange, federal prosecutors say.

The former chief executive of a failed bank in Lincoln, Neb., was sentenced to 11 years in prison for forming a scheme to hide more than $100 million in losses from shareholders and regulators.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday issued an advisory for banks and credit unions on how to prevent and respond to elder abuse.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency appears poised finally to allow principal reductions, but it's been nearly a decade since the mortgage crisis and underwater borrowers are much fewer thanks to higher home values.

The first protection a consumer needs is the assurance that any new reforms will not inadvertently drive all regulated credit from the market.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking at whether mortgage servicers are boosting profits by prematurely unleashing debt collectors on delinquent borrowers, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking at whether mortgage servicers are boosting profits by prematurely unleashing debt collectors on delinquent borrowers, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has implemented a new rule that broadens the ability of lenders in rural and underserved areas to originate qualified mortgages.