Law and regulation

The window for moving financial services regulatory relief through Congress is rapidly closing, but there appears to be little hope that the partisan tensions that have stalled the process will ease in time.

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Vice Chairman Thomas Hoenig said favorable leverage-ratio treatment for certain derivatives would undermine postcrisis capital reforms.

The Senate passed a bipartisan bill late Tuesday that would cap executive pay at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Small installment loans with monthly payments limited to 5% of a borrower's income offer a way for banks to serve low-income customers' credit needs while turning a profit.

Simmons First National in Pine Bluff, Ark., has agreed to an early termination of its federal loss-share agreements for its acquisition of four failed banks.

One of the top anti-money-laundering regulators warned credit unions Tuesday that many do not appear to be properly following reporting requirements.

The digital currency industry reacted warily to a model framework for regulating such firms released Tuesday by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, arguing the language is too vague and treats digital assets like normal money.

License numbers for loan officers, real estate agents and settlement agents will be required on one of the new TILA-Respa integrated disclosure forms, raising questions about whether they could trigger investigations of possible illegal marketing services agreements.

WASHINGTON — A report to examine the conditions surrounding last year's unrest in Ferguson, Mo., is calling for officials to strengthen poor minority communities' access to banking services and curtail predatory lending to reduce crime and poverty.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau could be doing more to “enhance the accuracy and completeness” of entries into its consumer complaint database, according to the agency’s Inspector General.

Sitting down with American Banker, incoming American Bankers Association CEO Rob Nichols discussed the need for industry unity, banking's convergence with the technology sector and the regulatory relief fight, among other issues.

WASHINGTON — Virtual currency made another significant step Tuesday toward becoming legitimate in the eyes of regulators as the Conference of State Bank Supervisors finalized a model regulatory framework for the nascent industry.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau won a preliminary court injunction against several companies that the agency says ran a "debt-relief scheme" that imposed "exorbitant, illegal" fees on consumers, the agency said Tuesday.

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., has named Christine Cumming, a former Federal Reserve Bank of New York executive, to its board.

The California Department of Business Oversight, which regulates financial services and products, has promoted Debie Abella to head of bank regulation and supervision.

Criminal charges don't scare big banks anymore. Perhaps the Justice Department's fresh commitment to threatening top executives with prosecution will keep them in line.

Brayden McCarthy and Jared Hecht of Fundera argue that the Small Business Borrowers' Bill of Rights, a self-regulatory document written by online small-business lenders, should serve as a template for future government regulation of the sector.

For those wondering where the Republican presidential candidates stand on key banking issues, the answer remains somewhat of a mystery.

Senator Elizabeth Warren is withdrawing her support for a Republican bill that had been on the fast track to bar the Treasury Department from selling Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac preferred shares, according to a person familiar with the matter.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, has requested a study from the Government Accountability Office on the mandate that banks hold stock in the Federal Reserve System.