Law and regulation

As U.S. auto lending has boomed, the industry — especially its subprime sector — has become a growing target for a slew of prosecutors and regulators. Here are seven government agencies to keep an eye on.

WASHINGTON — Top regulators on Wednesday said the clock is ticking for some of the largest financial institutions to come up with better contingency plans should they need to file for bankruptcy.

WASHINGTON — Credit unions were generally pleased with Tuesday's election results that gave Republicans control of Congress, but acknowledged they suffered a blow from the loss of one of their most vocal advocates, Sen. Mark Udall.

Justices seem to struggle with what rescission actually means in practice and in the Truth-in-Lending Act.

Bank regulators will hold a series of outreach meetings with bankers starting Dec. 2 to hear regulatory relief ideas as part of a process required by federal law.

While many banks are cheering Republicans' success in the midterm elections, the results may not be as transformative as they hope. Here's why.

Until Congress gets around to GSE reform, the FHFA could at least make Fannie and Freddie less expensive to run. Combining the companies would reduce the threat that they will need more support from the Treasury and perhaps lower the cost of obtaining a mortgage.

Even though the payments industry earlier this year put an end to the debate over how to comply with a federal mandate for routing EMV debit transactions, the technology still isn't widely available.

Republicans won a sizable victory late Tuesday, retaking the Senate after losing it eight years ago. Banks, too, largely benefited, as an ally of the industry captured a Senate seat in West Virginia, two credit union allies fell and a key Democratic senator squeaked past. Here's how election night played out for banks.

Sen. Richard Shelby is expected to become chairman of the Senate Banking Committee next year after Republicans seized enough seats to take control of the chamber. But the Alabama Republican will face a time-crunch to get his agenda through.

A U.S. District Court decision this week that blocked the use of a controversial legal theory in a fair housing case on discrimination has ignited industry hopes that the Supreme Court will take a similar stance on a separate, larger case pending before the high court.

Banks are hiring armies of lawyers, accountants, compliance consultants and IT vendors as they prepare to comply with the Volcker Rule. Ironically, their attempts to fortify themselves with outsourced knowledge could expose them to more operational risk.

Until U.S. authorities can prove they have a better idea about how to provide short-term, small-dollar loans and other alternative financial services to people in need, they should stop trying to drive from business the lawful companies working to serve this market.

WASHINGTON — MetLife has made clear its objection to regulators designating the firm as a "systemically important financial institution," but on Monday the life insurer had the opportunity to air its concerns directly.

Industry veteran David Applegate will serve as CEO of Common Securitization Solutions LLC, the new firm co-owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to develop a common securitization platform for the mortgage secondary market.

The Fair Housing Act bars only intentional discrimination, not all practices that have a disparate impact on racial minorities, a federal judge ruled in a victory for the financial services industry.

WASHINGTON — Banks have seen a mild uptick in retail small business lending applications in the past quarter, though most other demand indicators remain flat, according to a Federal Reserve Board report released Monday.

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators released a document summarizing their general findings from recent cybersecurity assessments at community-size financial institutions.

During the past week, consumer and industry groups have lobbied the agency in different directions, with consumer groups arguing the agency did not go far enough and lenders saying it went too far in seeking more data from lenders.

Fifth Third Bancorp has lowered fees and eased terms on short-term, small-dollar loans as it awaits clearer guidance from regulators on the product's future.