Law and regulation

U.S. lawmakers may follow their European counterparts and regulate bankers' pay if reforms aimed at ending government bailouts for lenders stall, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Vice Chairman Thomas Hoenig said.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have set terms for letting borrowers put down as little as 3% of a home's cost to get mortgages, a step criticized by Republican lawmakers as a return to risky lending.

Appointing a chief ethics officer can help banks maintain their integrity and foster public trust. Banks should also develop decision processes that explicitly address the question of whether they should do something, as opposed to whether they can.

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The Federal Housing Administration said no county in the nation will experience a decrease from this year's loan limits.

Yesterday the Financial Services Roundtable, along with the Retail Industry Leaders Association, sent a letter to Congress encouraging legislation to allow for better cooperation in combating cyberthreats.

Officials at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae all heaped praise on nonbank mortgage lenders for stepping up to provide loans for home purchases at a time when many banks have scaled back.

A civil rights group is asking senators to more closely examine Mickey Barnett's work on payday loan issues before they vote on his reappointment to the U.S. Postal Service board of governors.

The financial services industry believes it has finally discovered proof that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau uses flawed methods to detect possible discrimination in auto loans. But the CFPB argues the proof is flawed as well.

WASHINGTON — U.S. capital rules largely adhere to the Basel Committee's international standards but are "materially noncompliant" in two areas, the committee said Friday.

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

Banks aren't going to be able to hide behind the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act anymore.

Borrowers who have made five years of payments on their modified loans will be eligible to earn $5,000 in the next year to reduce their outstanding balance.

U.S. regulators are close to a final decision to label MetLife Inc. systemically important, two people with knowledge of the matter said, setting up a potential legal battle with the country's largest life insurer.

The watchdog agencies for two bank regulators issued reports this week that found a lack of minorities and women in senior-level positions.

Lawmakers are nearing an agreement on extending a federal backstop that covers a portion of corporations' losses from acts of terrorism, according to two congressional aides.

Regulators don't want to use the name Basel IV, but the sheer number of changes they are contemplating over the next few years add up to an entirely new capital regime.

Almost a year after the Volcker Rule was finalized, banks still have questions about which regulators are taking the lead on the rule and how the supervisory and enforcement process will work.

At a roundtable with federal and state regulators in Los Angeles this week, bankers offered some fresh ideas about possible regulatory relief. Here is a sampling.

The House passed an enhanced bankruptcy bill for large banks earlier this week, teeing up what's likely to be a broader — and more contentious — debate over the issue next year.