Law and regulation

There were fewer institutions originating mortgages in 2013, while low- and moderate-income borrowers took a smaller share of industry volume, according to the recently released Home Mortgage Disclosure Act data.

Mortgage underwriting overlays are not only tighter than they were precrisis, they're more restrictive than they were 15 years ago — a trend that Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro wants to change.

Wells Fargo agreed to pay $5 million to settle U.S. regulatory claims that its brokerage unit failed to prevent an employee from trading on nonpublic information related to the 2010 acquisition of Burger King.

Rebeca Romero Rainey, the CEO of Centinel Bank of Taos, will use part of her speech at a Federal Reserve conference on small banks this week to discuss the need for regulatory relief and her belief that community bankers have a duty to persevere under difficult circumstances.

A panel at American Banker's Regulatory Symposium about the Department of Justice program featured a spirited debate about whether it is prudently fighting fraud or cooling banks' relationships with legal businesses.

Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia President Charles Plosser, who votes on policy this year, will retire after eight years in which he became a consistent critic of the central bank's unprecedented easing.

There is a good chance legislation that would provide regulatory relief to small banks and address concerns about which banks are dubbed systemically important could be wrapped in the same Senate bill next year, experts said at American Banker's 4th Annual Regulatory Symposium.

Regulators are developing joint standards for cybersecurity, testing special exam procedures and helping banks assess their own readiness, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg said at American Banker's 4th Annual Regulatory Symposium. That's a good thing because community bankers said they need a lot of help.

A reform intended to reduce risk in the financial system could inadvertently exacerbate future economic downturns.

Janet Yellen's tenure as Fed chair could open more doors for women in the C-suite. It also sends a powerful message to younger generations: math and economics are cool.

Industry groups have urged the bank regulators to implement more wholesale changes in the second review mandated by a 1996 law, saying the outcome of the first review was disappointing.

As regulators emphasize the importance of data integrity, chief data officers need to consider new strategies to ensure that all bank employees are on the same page about improving information quality.

So long as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Treasury, they don't need to accumulate any capital save the liquidity necessary to fund their operations.

Consumer groups and industry advocates found rare common ground Thursday in recommending that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should push for clearer disclosures to help consumers better compare prices. But a dispute over dealer pricing remains an issue.

Santander Holdings USA entered into a written agreement with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston about managing capital payments after one of its units issued an unauthorized dividend.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has taken a sweeping approach in using its authority to propose supervision of the largest nonbank auto lenders, unveiling a plan that would effectively cover 90% of the market.

During a wide-ranging discussion of the economy and regulation, Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf cited several factors that were harming the housing market. His comments came the same day the White House hosted a meeting on the topic.

Two online payday loan operations in the Kansas City area have been shut down after the CFPB and FTC charged them with bilking more than $36 million from consumers.

A top official from the Financial Stability Oversight Council told House lawmakers on Tuesday that regulators remain open to improvements in transparency, though he did not name specific measures the council is considering.

The House approved a package of Dodd-Frank Act tweaks Tuesday evening, including a closely watched provision to clarify Federal Reserve capital standards for insurers.