Law and regulation

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The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s board of directors will meet Tuesday to consider approving the agency's 2015 operating budget as well as to discuss a proposal related to derivatives netting.

It proved to be another chaotic day on Capitol Hill Friday as lawmakers continued to battle over a controversial swaps provision in a massive spending bill, while an extension of a key risk insurance program appeared suddenly in doubt.

HUD officials had taken a neutral position on whether FHA financing would be available for loans that were seized by cities and written down to their current appraised value.

WASHINGTON — Congress passed legislation late Thursday that will expand community bank access to the debt markets in order to finance acquisitions.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, a top critic of the country's megabanks, will lead Democrats on the Banking Committee next year.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

The financial system will be safer if accounting standards force banks to incorporate risk into the way they value and report cash and cash equivalents.

On its face, the House vote late Thursday to approve a spending bill that included an unrelated provision written by Citigroup was a big legislative victory for the bank and its fellow Wall Street behemoths. Yet it’s also a victory that comes at a high price.

The House narrowly passed a massive $1.1 trillion spending plan Thursday night, moving the bill to the Senate, where the fight over a Dodd-Frank Act derivatives measure is likely to continue.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt's decision Thursday to stand up the affordable housing trust funds sharply divided lawmakers along party lines, with Democrats welcoming the decision as overdue while Republicans denounced it as a mistake.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took action Thursday against two companies for allegedly running "scams" that promised relief for struggling student loan borrowers.

International bank regulators finalized changes Thursday that will greatly diminish the role of external ratings agencies in weighting the risk of securitized assets in capital requirements.

There's little point to Fannie and Freddie's large profits if that money is remitted to the Treasury rather than making the GSEs more financially stable.

After a six-year delay, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will finally begin setting aside a portion of their revenues to fund the development of rental housing for low-income families.

The House unanimously approved a measure Wednesday night clarifying the Federal Reserve's ability to set separate capital standards for systemically important insurers.

More robust risk management frameworks and technology infrastructures are at least as important as higher capital standards in preventing another global financial crisis.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is calling on the biggest credit reporting agencies to submit reports regularly on how they handle consumer disputes, and produce lists that name the furnishers and industries which have the most complaints.

Senate lawmakers pressed government officials about whether they’re doing enough to protect the financial system from cyberattacks on Wednesday, warning that more must be done next year to help banks defend themselves.

The spending package unveiled Tuesday would end Department of Veterans Affairs guarantees on larger loans starting Jan. 1.