WASHINGTON — Twelve Democratic senators are calling on banks to follow the lead of Citigroup and Bank of America in limiting their business with firearms dealers in light of recent mass shootings.
The senators, led by Dianne Feinstein of California and Brian Schatz of Hawaii, wrote letters to 11 banks — including Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley — endorsing corporate policies that raise the minimum age to purchase firearms, require background checks on sales, and prohibit the sale of high-capacity magazines, bump stocks and assault-style weapons.
“We applaud this model of corporate responsibility and we hope that this is the path forward for similar financial entities,” the senators said. “There is a growing consensus in the private sector that companies can and should take action to address the problem of gun violence in our country.”
The letter comes as Republicans have criticized BofA and Citi's stances, while on the other side the New York State Department of Financial Services has urged state-chartered banks to reassess any ties with the National Rifle Association and other groups, citing reputational risk concerns.
Citi banned retailers that use the bank from offering bump stocks and selling guns to underage customers or those who haven’t passed background checks. BofA said it would stop making loans to companies that manufacture assault-style weapons used for nonmilitary purposes. Wells Fargo, on the other hand, has said that lawmakers, not companies, should set gun policy.
Consumer spending slowed and charge-offs rose during the first quarter, but Bread Financial said a pending late-fee rule may not be as devastating to its revenue as the Columbus, Ohio-based firm initially feared.
The FDIC board debated and ultimately withdrew two separate proposals to address asset managers' control over banks, but acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu said he couldn't support either and called for more research and debate about how asset managers' control over banks impacts safety and soundness.
The state's comptroller of public accounts is one of several notable non-depositories with access to the Fed's payments system, along with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Tennessee Valley Authority. So why do they have accounts while some neobanks don't?
Mortgage rates rose 7 basis points this week, Freddie Mac said, and more increases are likely following a weaker than expected gross domestic product report.
While home lenders are seeing a decrease in issues coming through mobile channels, phone fraud spiked last year, accounting for 28% of losses, a new report found.