Law and regulation

The independent foreclosure review process was disorganized, ineffective and inconsistent, according to a draft report by the Government Accountability Office.

The Florida Attorney General’s office is investigating College Education Services LLC, a company that markets relief from student debt.

Instawallet, a Bitcoin wallet service, has "suspended indefinitely" because of fraudulent access, according to a notice on the company’s website today. It is the latest in a series of attacks and glitches to afflict businesses that work with the digital currency.

The plan, which was first reported by the Washington Post, sounds similar to a framework the Federal Housing Finance Agency unveiled in September to help alleviate mortgage lenders' concerns about exposure to bad loans.

The Federal Reserve Board approved a rule Wednesday that outlines the criteria regulators will use to determine if a nonbank is systemically important.

A number of community banks are relying on fixed-rate loans to produce short-term profits, but the move could backfire when interest rates rise.

There is no simple solution to "too big to fail," a complicated problem born of a series of policy missteps that will take years to unwind. The sooner everyone accepts that reality, the sooner we can tackle the necessary items to make sound public policy.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Daniel Tarullo said Wednesday that regulators have not yet eliminated "too big to fail" but continue to make progress in that direction.

Lawyers representing retail trade organizations in the class action over card swipe fees are preparing "a strong response" to allegations that they are misleading in how they urge their members to oppose the proposed settlement in the eight-year-long case.

ReD plans to introduce its fraud prevention services in Latin America and the Caribbean, two growing card payments markets that are undergoing migration to EMV smart cards.

Responding to feedback from community banks about the need for more technical assistance, the FDIC unveiled the first of three online video series to help train new officers and directors.

Analysts are skeptical lenders can cut overhead fast enough to keep up with a projected collapse in mortgage volume. Some banks are intent on taking a bigger piece of the pie.

The debate over whether banks should be run by separate chairmen and chief executives has gained fresh urgency as proxy season has arrived. Even at the biggest banks, the question remains far from resolved.

Regulators and lawmakers should take steps to encourage banks to use their excess reserves to accommodate consumer credit demand.

The record shows that regulators and prosecutors have charged bank D&Os and other employees in ways that affect their personal net worth and freedom.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take the Cities for Financial Empowerment program nationwide.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has begun targeting large nonbank debt collectors, starting with data requests that eventually will lead to physical audits of the companies' operations.

Small-business loans resulting from a government program jumped by 20% during the fourth quarter, with the Treasury estimating it has helped more than 38,000 total loans since it began nearly two years ago.

The debt collection industry is bracing for significant reform as collectors are scrutinizing their own practices ahead of the first set of examinations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has joined forces with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take a local financial protection program nationwide.