Law and regulation

Financial monitoring is one of the most effective ways to identify human traffickers. That's why it's crucial that banks work closely with law enforcement officials to put a stop to this criminal activity.

Marlette Funding is set to announce Friday that it has raised $75 million from investors including a fund affiliated with the Invus Group, a private-equity firm, and Navient Corp. The money will mainly be used to keep a portion of the loans Marlette originates through its website, MyBestEgg.com.

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 — The efforts of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shareholders to claw back the value of their investments by suing the U.S. Treasury have not elicited much support on Capitol Hill.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a monthly snapshot of its complaint database on Thursday, the first of what will be a series of monthly reports that dig deeper into the trove of data it collects.

Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen said Thursday that she is willing to reject any of the largest banks' resolution plans that regulators received earlier this month if they are not adequate, but in at least one respect they already appear to be improved.

The leak of documents from the surveillance software and "ethical hacking" firm Hacking Team revealed that some foreign banks were clients. Had any U.S. banks been on the list, the last two weeks would have been … interesting.

WASHINGTON — Steven Antonakes, the No. 2 official at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is resigning from the agency, according to an internal agency memo obtained by American Banker.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling is planning to push legislation that would rein in the Federal Reserve Board.

The Treasury Department launched an inquiry into the marketplace lending industry on Thursday, seeking information on its business models, customers and whether such firms should be forced to keep some "skin in the game."

Final guidelines for dealing with failing institutions from the international Basel Committee include direct capital injections — something the Dodd-Frank Act tried to end in the U.S. — as a last-ditch option.

A recent CFPB study lays the groundwork to roll back financial firms' use of arbitration clauses. But rather than protecting consumers, such a measure could wind up forcing people into costly and time-consuming lawsuits.

Wall Street's favored bank-resolution strategy would virtually guarantee future bailouts while imposing the costs on taxpayers and ordinary investors. At the very least, the damage can be mitigated with three key reforms.

Although overall lending was a bright spot in the Federal Reserve Board's report on economic activity released Wednesday, some bankers surveyed said excessive regulation is crimping commercial lending.

Federal Reserve Board Chair Janet Yellen sounded at least open to the idea that new regulations have contributed to potential liquidity problems, but said more study is needed.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's massive collection of consumer data continued to raise concerns with lawmakers on Wednesday despite assurances from the agency's director that the data is anonymized. Lawmakers also voiced worries that the agency is inappropriately targeting auto dealers.

WASHINGTON — Senate Democrats unveiled a bill Wednesday that would require banks and debt buyers to ensure that a consumer's credit report is updated when debt is extinguished through bankruptcy.

Federal Housing Administration endorsements continue to rise following the 50-basis point cut in January.

Nobody wants a big-bank bailout, but compared to the risk of contagion, it's the lesser of two evils.

Banks often complain that the Federal Reserve's zero percent interest rate policy has been hard on profits. But they may not be as informed about the long-term negative effects of the Fed's annual inflation target of 2%.