Law and regulation

Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits are projected to end 2012 down roughly three percent from 2011, according to data gathered from U.S. district courts.

The Congressional agenda for 2013 will include lawmakers overseeing implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act and possible advances on housing finance reform.

The banking industry is expected to benefit marginally from the deal to avert the fiscal cliff, but looming fights over tax reform and the debt ceiling remain.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized its first rule, took its first enforcement actions, and landed its first deals with state regulators and municipalities to enhance data sharing all during the agency's first year. The CFPB's most challenging work, however, is still to come.

Rep. Barney Frank opened up with American Banker's Rob Blackwell in a 2012 interview, discussing what motivated him to get into politics, his personal life, and the cause of political gridlock in Congress.

"With a divided Congress slow to confirm appointees, only one of the four federal bank regulators had a permanent chief, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board of directors had just three members. No one on the board was the confirmed head of an agency," writes American Banker's Joe Adler.

After a deadline-inspired surge, nearly 500,000 borrowers are seeking formal reviews of their 2009 and 2010 foreclosures for mistakes by lenders, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency reported.

The benefits banks get from being deemed "too big to fail" will be examined by congressional watchdogs in response to a bipartisan request from senators who say the government hasn't done enough to prevent future bailouts.

Lawmakers in 2013 will continue to oversee implementation of the Dodd-Frank reform law and may begin to make inroads on housing finance reform.

Avoid a change if your bank lacks the ability or resources to implement it successfully. Instead, consider accepting low growth, managing the institution for cash and returning the excess capital to shareholders.

Independent consultants, the Government Accountability Office, and lawmakers have warned banking regulators over the past month that their foreclosure reviews were unfocused, behind schedule and headed for disaster.

We revisit some of the best comments readers posted to AmericanBanker.com and BankThink.com in 2012.

Regulators apparently agree with widespread criticism that the vast foreclosure review process went off the rails.

C1 Bank will likely need to strengthen its compliance department before buying a branch in downtown Miami from U.S. Century Bank.

Despite a lackluster track record in 2012, the two SuperPACs formed by bankers are vowing to increase their influence before the next election hits.

Happy third anniversary, Brian Moynihan. Investors and others are complimenting your work streamlining the troubled Bank of America — and debating whether a new CEO is needed to kick-start growth.

Sound Community Bancorp in Seattle has ditched its federal thrift charter. The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions approved an application last week from Sound Community Bank for a state commercial bank charter, which went into effect immediately.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Carol Galante as head of the Federal Housing Administration, the agency she has spent more than a year running as acting FHA commissioner.

As 2012 progressed, one thing became strikingly clear: the card networks do not want to be left behind as new digital payment methods threaten plastic.

Mid Penn Bancorp (MPB) in Millersburg, Pa., has repaid the $10 million it owes the Troubled Asset Relief Program.