FDIC

In a rare move, the House Financial Services Committee chairwoman will lead a congressional delegation to a public FDIC board meeting as it considers releasing a proposal to rework the Community Reinvestment Act.

The Fed chairman said he has not given up on the central bank agreeing with other regulatory agencies on a plan to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act, but admitted, "I don’t know whether that will be possible or not.”

The supervisory letter had required the company to get Fed approval before issuing debt, paying dividends or making quarterly payments on its trust-preferred securities.

Chairman Jelena McWilliams previewed a proposal to update the agency’s definition of brokered funds, but also suggested steps lawmakers could take to improve the rule’s underlying statute.

The Rakuten application has piqued interest in reviving legislation aimed at stopping commercial firms from owning banks. Yet Congress previously had the chance to enact such a measure and declined.

Cost cutting and systems integrations are short-term priorities, but over time CEO Kelly King and his heir apparent, Bill Rogers, will have to exploit the combined BB&T-SunTrust's revenue potential and prove the biggest post-crisis merger was a good idea.

The banking industry could finally have answers soon on the degree of agreement between regulators reforming the Community Reinvestment Act, how they envision CRA zones of the future and other key matters.

The meeting scheduled for Dec. 12 will also include discussion of a proposal on the agency's definition of brokered deposits.

A day after House Democrats urged the banking agencies to unite behind a joint plan to update the Community Reinvestment Act, Senate Democrats worried that an impending proposal from the OCC and FDIC will reduce access to credit.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren introduced a bill to require CFPB approval for certain bank merger applications in the wake of regulators' approval of a deal between BB&T and SunTrust.