Law and regulation

The car title loan industry is poised to grow substantially if it's not covered by CFPB regulations on payday lending. But the bureau has not laid the groundwork for title lending rules in the same way it has for payday lending.

The regulatory focus must shift from prohibiting undesirable risk behavior to changing the incentives that cause that behavior.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined RealtySouth, Alabama's largest real estate firm, $500,000 for allegedly steering consumers to an affiliated title services company.

Banks are still feeling negative effects from last year's sudden rise in medium- and long-term interest rates, but plenty of signs in the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s latest industry update continue to point to a lending resurgence in the near future.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Wednesday it will begin rotating out resident examiners in the largest banks as part of a slew of internal changes it plans to make later this year based upon suggestions made by foreign supervisors.

WASHINGTON — Stanley Fischer was sworn in as a member of the Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — Declines in mortgage-related revenue and trading income helped pull first-quarter earnings down 7.6% from the industry's profit a year earlier, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said Wednesday.

Cities including Baltimore and Los Angeles have brought lawsuits against banks alleging that subprime lending to minority borrowers wound up costing municipalities tens of millions of dollars. A recent Supreme Court ruling could help banks deflect such charges.

A battle over social media about how well the current housing finance system treats African-Americans and other minorities has spurred a critical discussion about racial disparities in the mortgage market.

A consolidated exam force could give state regulators access to federal resources without undermining the dual banking system.

Solera National in Colorado went through a messy proxy fight with its biggest shareholder. The contest prompted the company's OCC examiner to ask for an invitation to the meeting.

Merchants who use dynamic currency conversion should be required to give consumers full disclosure about the service's added fees.

Thomson Reuters Corp., the provider of financial data and news, elected former Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair to its board, adding an outspoken advocate of greater transparency from banks.

Mortgages generated the bulk of consumers' complaints.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council prices enhanced transparency.

The agency proposes its first fee increase in 20 years.

The Ohio Division of Financial Institutions closed Columbia Savings Bank in Cincinnati on Friday.

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The congressional stalemate over how to restructure the housing finance system leaves several questions unanswered about other bank regulations currently in the pipeline.

Democratic allies are hoping that, once confirmed, Julian Castro will focus on increasing affordable housing and making mortgage credit more available to first-time homebuyers.