Law and regulation

"Deposit fee" is one of the more popular terms being used in new naming conventions, while some banks are scrapping their fees altogether.

A House panel ended a probe of alleged preferential lending by Countrywide Financial to lawmakers and aides without taking action, saying the "serious matters" submitted for review fall outside its jurisdiction.

The Franklin County (Wash.) Clerk's Office has surpassed $1 million in collections for one year for the first time, a decade after it decided to chase convicted criminals for fines and court costs.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has named Gateway Bank CEO Jeffrey Cheung to a minority advisory committee, and he spilled the beans a little early

Successful banks are, among other things, focusing on education and employee training courses, establishing a formal enterprise risk management department and tying compensation to clearly defined best practices.

California, by holding out for a $12 billion side deal with Chase, Wells and B of A, secured a far larger share of the settlement than fairness would seem to dictate.

U.S. regulators are facing a series of difficult choices as they weigh how to finalize Basel III capital and liquidity rules next year, including how closely they adhere to an international agreement or whether they make changes for smaller institutions.

The FTC released a report that said small banks continue to pull in significant revenue from interchange fees on debit cards despite fears that the Durbin amendment would hurt them as much as larger institutions.

These financial services executives won't be sorry to see this year end and are hoping for better results in 2013.

The board of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati has reelected Carl F. Wick, a former NCR executive, as its chairman. B. Proctor Caudill Jr. was also reelected as vice chairman, the bank said.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority has sanctioned five firms for charging additional fees on municipal and state bond offerings to pay a lobbying organization.

A U.S. appeals court has reversed the dismissal of a shareholder class action brought against VeriFone in the wake of its 2007 earnings restatement of three quarters from that year, the company stated in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

OceanFirst Financial in Toms River, N.J., expects to increase its fourth-quarter loan-loss provision because of Hurricane Sandy and new regulatory guidance for borrowers who have filed for bankruptcy.

The industry returned to sustainable (albeit tepid) profitability this year and housing appears to have bottomed. Regulatory fines and litigation continue to cast a pall on the future, however.

Wells Fargo has won a partial victory in its appeal of a closely watched, $203 million overdraft lawsuit, but both sides of the case are gearing up for another round of fighting over the bank's consumer practices.

The presidential election dominated Washington this year, but other issues also sparked controversy, including pending Basel III rules, Sheila Bair's book, and an FDIC attempt to redefine community banks. Following are the most read stories in Reg and Reform this past year, counting down from #10 to #1.

Fraud and data security trends can change by the minute, often making it difficult to pinpoint a specific development as a key event during the course of a year. Not so in 2012.

The $2.7 billion-asset parent of AnchorBank in Madison, Wis., said Wednesday it has prepaid $150 million in advances from the Federal Home Loan Bank System that were due in 2015.

The FDIC this year has filed more lawsuits against the officers and directors of failed banks than it did last year. That number is expected to grow again next year, and involve smaller institutions.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is finishing a redesign of its headquarters featuring an open floor plan — a sharp departure from the labyrinthine layout of the previous tenant, the OTS.