Law and regulation

Any method for unwinding too-big-to-fail institutions that tries to avoid bailouts is a fool's errand. A more effective path may be reducing the size of TBTF banks or regulating them as utilities.

WASHINGTON – Retailers are fighting back against financial industry efforts to repeal a cap on debit interchange fees.

Loan modification activity has fallen dramatically at national banks over the past year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.

President-elect Donald Trump's choice of well-known Wall Street lawyer Jay Clayton to head the Securities and Exchange Commission was a relatively safe move that suggests his other financial appointments may be equally conservative, industry observers said.

It's no secret that Washington has been upended since the presidential election, with Donald Trump's unexpected victory forcing observers to recast predictions about what will happen in the new year. Following is a guide to what policymakers to watch and who is poised to make the biggest impact in 2017.

The current single-director leadership structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is not a recipe for transparency and accountability. Creating a multimember commission to oversee the agency is the answer.

The bank formerly run by Steven Mnuchin, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee to head the Treasury Department, allegedly used illegal practices in foreclosing on delinquent homeowners, according to a leaked 2013 memo from the California Attorney General's Office.

Treasury Secretary nominee Steven Mnuchin has declined to answer questions from a Democratic senator about his views on financial regulations, sanctions and his time as head of a bank accused of unfair foreclosure practices.

The Senate Banking Committee will have six fresh faces in the new Congress as Republicans grapple with a slimmer majority.

In an enforcement action totaling more than $23 million in fines and restitution, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that TransUnion and Equifax – two of the largest consumer credit reporting agencies – had misled consumers on the value of the data they marketed.