Law and regulation

Phoenixville Federal Bank & and Trust in Pennsylvania has converted to a state charter.

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta President Dennis Lockhart said he continues to expect the first interest- rate hike in nearly a decade this year, while cautioning that a stronger dollar, a weaker Chinese yuan and falling oil prices complicate the outlook.

The sharp drop in the stock and commodities markets on Monday raised some critical questions for policymakers, touching on everything from whether asset managers are systemically risky to if the central bank would now delay raising interest rates.

WASHINGTON — A Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. publication on Monday advised banks to include cyber risk in standard disaster-planning and business-continuity exercises as part of general strategic-planning discussions.

The lack of liquidity in the bond markets has drawn significant attention from policymakers, but agreeing on what is causing it, and whether new regulations required by Dodd-Frank are to blame, may be impossible.

Families that use state-issued EBT cards often face ATM fees that eat away at their already-meager incomes. Banks should waive those fees in order to ensure that all public assistance dollars go toward household needs.

Harvard University added Joshua Friedman, co-founder of hedge fund Canyon Partners LLC, and Jeremy Stein, a former Federal Reserve Board governor, to the board overseeing its $36.4 billion endowment.

Some large U.S. banks are likely to be impacted by recent volatility in emerging markets like Brazil and China. But their opaque risk metrics make it difficult for investors to judge banks' level of exposure.

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The failure to prosecute bankers as a result of the financial crisis has sparked an ongoing debate about whether enforcement officials lacked the will to move forward with any cases — or didn't have enough proof that any crimes had been committed.

Nothing touches off an argument more than questions about whether the CFPB will allow any marketing services agreements to continue. Some mortgage lenders say no and are winding down their agreements, others insist regulators can be satisfied, and still others are just plain confused.

Prepaid cards appeal to a growing percentage of the population like millennials and other 21st century consumers who want to manage their money without being tied down to bank locations.

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 from our social media platforms.

WASHINGTON — Two California companies allegedly sold pension advance loans that they claimed were not credit products but in fact charged usurious interest rates, according to a lawsuit brought Thursday by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and New York regulators.

Roughly 20 banks still have capital from the crisis-era program. Most are way behind on dividend payments and have limited options to raise capital to repay the Treasury Department.

Rubio's harsh words about Dodd-Frank and Kasich's record on the House Budget Committee have helped the two policymakers attract significant support from bankers, but Trump also has significant momentum.

For those who lament the U.S. government's failure to put individuals on trial for their role in the 2008 mortgage crisis, Iceland's prosecution of bankers represents a platonic ideal of financial supervision. But the comparison between the Icelandic and U.S. cases is not as simple as it may appear.

JPMorgan Chase has named retired Army Gen. Raymond Odierno senior adviser to the company on international relations, cybersecurity, leadership development and other issues.

Alternative payments are taking hold at a brisk pace. Now a major bank lobbying group and payment company is crying foul.

Before it dissolves in late September, a bipartisan House task force should take a broader look at de-risking, changing technologies, cybersecurity and the private sector's role in deterring terrorism financing.