Law and regulation

Martin Tobias is upset that JPMorgan Chase closed his accounts this week after a news report about his business connections to the marijuana industry, but he says he partly understands the pressure banks are under.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including thoughts on derisking, biometric technology and Paul Volcker’s proposal to reform the regulatory system.

HSBC Holdings executives said little about the future of their U.S. bank and other underperforming businesses at a sometimes contentious annual shareholder meeting Friday.

itBit, a Bitcoin exchange, looks to be gunning to go mainstream with an application for a New York trust charter and a lineup of prominent Washington backers including former FDIC head Sheila Bair.

As horrifying cyberattack scenarios grow more plausible, an American Bankers Association simulation of a hypothetical breach at a $10 billion-asset bank is designed to guide institutions through a set of crisis response steps.

In light of a recent op-ed about pawnbrokers denied banking services, it's worth reiterating that the FDIC encourages banks to assess individual businesses for risk rather than declining to provide services to entire categories of customers.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice has "hijacked" the Federal Housing Administration home loan program in efforts to punish lenders that don't make perfect loans, according to Quicken Loans chief executive Bill Emerson.

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.

In another escalation of Quicken Loans' ongoing clash with the government, the Department of Justice on Thursday filed a lawsuit alleging shoddy underwriting by the company.

The proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis is urging Bank of America shareholders to vote to support a proposal that would force the nation's second-largest bank to fully disclose its lobbying expenses and activities.

House lawmakers approved two bills this week to foster greater information sharing between the private sector and government about cyber threats — and all eyes now turn to the Senate to see if legislation can finally be enacted.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Housing Finance Agency is sticking to its schedule and moving quickly to finalize proposed financial requirements for nonbank firms that service Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans.

Regulators recently penalized a mortgage firm for keeping a file of licensing-test questions to prep exam takers, the first public challenge to what is believed to be a hushed, but longtime, industry practice.

Bill Emerson, chief executive of Quicken Loans, said at a recent conference that the threat of government probes and a lack of regulatory clarity are making FHA lending less attractive.

Deutsche Bank AG was ordered to pay a record $2.5 billion fine and fire seven employees to settle U.S. and U.K. investigations into its role in rigging Libor.

WASHINGTON — There is a disturbing lack of data on the repo and securities lending markets that could mask a buildup of activity by nonbank lenders, according to a report published Thursday by the Office of Financial Research.

Banking regulators will never conclude that regulation is actually hurting community banks until they study the issue and come to that conclusion on their own.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement attorneys have pulled back on new investigations in order to clear out a slew of pending cases, according to multiple current and former officials at the agency.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's enforcement attorneys have pulled back on new investigations in order to clear out a slew of pending cases, according to multiple current and former officials at the agency.

WASHINGTON — House lawmakers clashed this week over a bill making changes to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would cap the agency's budget in coming years.