Law and regulation

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Thursday that it had hit Clarity Services, a Florida-based consumer credit reporting company, with an $8 million fine over Fair Credit Reporting Act violations.

Issues with upgrading software and ensuring pricing accuracy to comply with the consumer bureau's "integrated disclosures" have been magnified in wholesale loan transactions.

Legislative proposals to reform the housing finance system have failed to garner enough support, but a surprisingly simply reform idea is in plain sight: deeper private mortgage insurance coverage.

If a forum hosted by the Treasury Department this week on economic inclusion showed anything, it was that bankers, financial technology firms and policymakers continue to struggle with how to bring more people into the financial mainstream.

Attempts to sneak provisions into a final budget deal may be sold as helping community banks, but many of the measures really help big banks and undermine consumer protection.

The Senate approved a massive, five-year transportation bill Thursday night, with the package now on its way to the White House where it is expected to be signed.

A pending bill that deals with the Federal Reserve's policy methodology doesn’t force the Fed into a corner but merely tries to foster meaningful dialogue between Congress and the central bank.

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.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced Thursday that it had hit Clarity Services, a Florida-based consumer credit reporting company, with an $8 million fine over Fair Credit Reporting Act violations.

House lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a major, five-year highway spending bill Thursday afternoon that includes several key relief measures for community banks.

Sen. Sherrod Brown took to the Senate floor Thursday afternoon to reiterate concerns over the Republican effort to move financial reform legislation through a must-pass spending bill.

WASHINGTON — Small banks are being crushed under the weight of regulations associated with the Dodd-Frank Act, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen acknowledged Thursday, but regulators are working to reduce that burden.

Contrary to industry representatives' opinion, overdraft rules are necessary for a service that has become a revenue driver for banks.

In a report assessing the impact of a 2009 reform law, the agency cited concerns on debt collection, deceptive rewards programs and so-called deferred interest products.

Several lawmakers criticized efforts to include controversial banking policy riders in a yearend deal on Wednesday evening.

The availability of home loans for low credit score borrowers remains very tight by historical standards but there might be some loosening in 2016 if the Federal Reserve begins raising interest rates.

The Federal Reserve’s regional banks are reporting a moderate but noticeable overall boost in demand for both commercial and consumer loans and financial services in recent months.

The sweeping, five-year highway bill may include some key concessions for small financial institutions, but the deal has left many in the industry frustrated. Here's why.

Unlike the high-profile hacking incidents at big banks, smaller institutions have their own breed of threats such as cyberextortion that they must focus on in strengthening their security.

WASHINGTON — New York Governor Andrew Cuomo proposed a requirement on Tuesday that could put bank compliance officers on the hook if a bank's anti-money-laundering system fails to meet state standards.