Banco Popular de Puerto Rico

Some have suggested the BB&T-SunTrust deal could spur similar ones, but prolonged M&A growth is hardly a sure thing in this political environment.

Regulators should clarify rules around deposit-advance products so that banks can serve consumers seeking short-term loans, like those affected by the recent partial closing of the government.

Lawmakers should step in to address the proper status of loans made by banks that have partnered with fintechs, rather than letting the courts decide.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., BB&T’s primary regulator, has a history of going easy on the bank. The combined entity would be better supervised by the central bank, which already oversees SunTrust.

The biggest merger in years is reviving the idea that the industry is headed for a barbell-like shakeout, with very large banks on one end, community banks on the other and very few in between.

Since the collapse of IndyMac in 2008, the agency has frequently helped to shield depositors over the $250,000 insurance limit from losses. But it’s a policy that was never formalized, and it remains to be seen whether the agency’s new head, Jelena McWilliams, will follow it.

They all agree that legislation is needed, but the two approaches being offered are exposing tensions.

The Small Business Administration should consider partnering with fintechs, which have the capacity to approve loans quickly, to help avoid the kind of application backlog the agency faced after the last government shutdown.

The agency’s proposed changes to its standard for small-dollar loans will help ensure underbanked consumers still have access to credit. Concerns about predatory lending are overstated.

The administration is sending conflicting signals on whether it has a plan to overhaul the housing finance system, further complicating an already complex debate.