Law and regulation

Freddie Mac will pay $7 billion to the Treasury Department after reporting the second-largest quarterly net income in the company's history.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has introduced a bill designed to lower the interest charged on federal student loans, a preemptive move ahead of an expected rate hike this summer.

An analysis of FDIC data shows the leverage ratio did little to distinguish banks that have failed since 2008 from those that remained healthy.

The House Financial Services Committee passed nine bills largely related to the derivatives market on Tuesday, exposing critical divisions among Democrats on the panel.

The case for a national housing finance commission.

A bank cited by regulators for lending policies allegedly favoring minorities and women over white males is proof for some of just how frustrating it is for institutions to comply with fair lending laws.

A new paper commissioned by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, highlights risks community banks face from the Dodd-Frank Act.

American Express is pursuing a new chief financial officer to help it manage the opportunities and financial stress borne by the future of digital commerce and emerging merchant acquisition strategies.

Regulators are trying to shut down Mission Settlement Agency in New York and Premier Consultant Group in New Jersey, alleging they charged millions of dollars in unnecessary fees.

The Federal Reserve Board has terminated an enforcement action against Greer Bancshares in Greer, S.C.

The debate to amend provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act is about to become heated as the House Financial Services Committee is scheduled to vote on nine derivatives bills today.

It's difficult to identify the victims of money laundering, other than the bank shareholders that must expend millions of dollars for the proactive compliance required as the state's deputized enforcers.

Banks hope that banking regulators will allow them to avoid taking an accounting hit when they offer forbearance to recent college graduates, many of whom are either out of work or underemployed.

FNB Bancorp in South San Francisco, Calif., has partially repaid the funds it received under the Treasury Department's Small Business Lending Fund.

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman stands alone in announcing a lawsuit against Bank of America and Wells Fargo for violations of the $25 billion mortgage settlement. But that may soon change.

New York's attorney general blasted Wells Fargo and Bank of America for "flagrantly" disregarding their promises to help homeowners under last year's 49-state mortgage servicing pact.

Most banks involved in student lending appear unlikely to change their holdings of private student loans over the next year, according to a report issued Monday by the Federal Reserve Board.

The federal government is now even more involved in the design, pricing, allocation and servicing of home mortgage credit than during the subprime lending debacle. Current proposals that call for government involvement would further entrench this situation.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency announced Monday that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac must restrict future mortgage purchases to "qualified mortgage" loans.

The Oracle of Omaha may love banks, but his sidekick says the time has come to break them up.