FDIC

Federal and state regulators Thursday offered a slew of regulatory relief measures to banks and credit unions affected by the disastrous California wildfires.

FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams questioned whether regulators and banks are fully capturing the emerging risks of a new shadow banking system.

The move allows the New York multifamily lender to make more loans without having to raise capital.

The FDIC is seeking comment on how to encourage small-dollar lending at banks, signaling a course change from guidance it issued five years ago restricting such loans.

The agency’s flawed methodology for determining interest rate caps on certain accounts poses risks for banks offering free, low-deposit checking and the financial system more broadly.

Top executives at Advance America acknowledged that anti-money-laundering concerns at banks were likely the cause of account terminations, even as they publicly blamed a stealth regulatory campaign.

As the FDIC considers reforms to its brokered deposit rules, the agency should recall the problems these funds caused in the lead-up to the S&L crisis, argues former Chairman William Isaac.

Payday lenders argue that banks cut ties with their industry due to pressure from biased and hostile regulators. But the reality, in some cases, may be more nuanced.

Republicans on the Senate Banking Committee expressed concern that FDIC examiners are verbally discouraging banks from working with certain businesses.

The federal agencies said in a recent statement that “guidance does not have the force and effect of law,” but two trade groups say that standard should be more binding.

The $263 million portfolio has been covered by a loss-share agreement since an investor group bought the failed BankUnited in 2009.

One of the biggest sticking points as regulators try to reform the Community Reinvestment Act is expanding the assessment footprint but ensuring banks continue to serve their direct communities.

Jelena McWilliams has signaled a thaw in the agency’s approach to industrial loan companies, but she said tech firms and other nonbanks seeking charters should face the same level of regulatory scrutiny as more traditional banks.

In a highly anticipated proposal, the central bank outlined a new approach for its post-crisis supervisory program that divides banks into different tiers based on size.

The new approach would replace the "current exposure methodology" that banks typically use to calculate what they owe or are owed in swaps, futures or options contracts.

While there are ways to improve the Community Reinvestment Act for the modern era, steps must be taken to ensure the law is not weakened in the process.

Despite improvements in the proportion of consumers without a bank account, there is still work to do to bring more Americans into the banking system, argues FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams.

Wells Fargo puts two top execs on leave as scandal's reach grows; regional banks freed from SIFI label lobbying regulators hard for more relief; FDIC to launch innovation office to help banks compete with fintechs; and more from this week's most-read stories.

Readers consider to new evidence regarding Operation Choke Point, debate the impact of Democrats taking control of the House in November, respond to concerns about weakening the Volcker Rule and more.

New court documents underscore the damage inflicted by the Obama administration’s de-risking initiative, argues Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer.