Law and regulation

Banks shouldn't go to extremes to make up for declining earnings, Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry said Friday.

A federal judge granted preliminary approval Friday to the proposed settlement of a massive lawsuit brought by retailers against Visa, MasterCard and banks that issue their cards.

The Federal Reserve Board on Friday issued detailed instructions to financial institutions ahead of the upcoming stress testing exercise that begins next week.

Smaller banks, fearing the regulatory burden from the legislation will crush them and no longer holding the hope that Romney could lighten the load, are now weighing their future. For many that might mean consolidation.

Small banks won a critical battle Friday as regulators agreed to indefinitely delay implementation of Basel III until various issues with a proposal can be resolved.

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner has made it clear he plans to leave office, but who from a long list of likely (and far-reaching) candidates should be chosen as his replacement?

Fed Gov. Elizabeth Duke said heightened burden from Dodd-Frank and Basel rules could make mortgage lending a less viable option for community banks, which make up a "significant" portion of the market.

President Obama's re-election will speed up implementation of Dodd-Frank, increasing regulatory burden and potentially spurring some bankers to finally sell.

The Dodd-Frank Act, sold to the public as the tamer of the Wall Street titans, may well end up having a disproportionate impact on smaller institutions, thanks to the costs of capital implications of being "not too big to fail" and the advent of the CFPB.

Massachusetts' Senator-elect may be public enemy No. 1 among bankers, but Citizens Republic CEO offers this reassurance: "She's but one vote."

U.S. financial institutions will not be required to start complying with Basel III capital and liquidity requirements by Jan. 1, according to a joint statement issued by regulators on Friday.

Now that the uncertainty of the elections is out of the way, we may see certain Dodd-Frank rules finalized by regulators soon. And opponents of the law see one upside: if Democrats are less on guard defending the law, they could be more pragmatic about adjustments.

The Financial Stability Oversight Council will meet Nov. 13 to consider reform to money market mutual funds, the Treasury Department said Thursday.

Critics claim a Dodd-Frank rule to bar banks from relying on ratings agencies to assess the value of their investments will increase compliance costs, spur concentration and even shrink investment income.

Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin in Madison managed to push capital ratios at its thrift a bit closer to well-capitalized status during the third quarter, despite posting another loss.

In update of the FDIC's community bank initiatives, officials reveal a Web-based feature designed to ensure examiner data requests are germane to individual exams.

Pan American Bank didn't let President Obama rest the day after his reelection. It urged him in a video Wednesday to make financial literacy and serving the unbanked a priority.

Regulators would prefer that banks maintain higher levels of reserves, while accountants may start pushing more institutions to release reserves as loan problems dissipate.

The Illinois Republican lost her seat to former Rep. Bill Foster on Tuesday night, opening up a chairman spot on the insurance, housing and community opportunity subcommittee.

The rise of the prepaid card is sure to be one of the Durbin Amendment's biggest legacies. It also suggests any savings merchants derive from the law will be short-lived.