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Fair value measurements marked to internal models may satisfy auditors and regulators. But investors demand independent valuations of thinly traded securities to eliminate any appearance of conflicts of interest.

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Banks today find themselves in a strategic box as seemingly impenetrable as one of their vaults.

There's more confusion in the Obama administration's policy response to the foreclosure crisis than an Abbott and Costello routine. Now the Fed steps up to the plate.

Consumers are regularly disappointed when they are drawn into accounts portrayed as "free" and then wind up being socked with fees and charges. Then they tell all their friends.

A compliance checklist for CEOs? That almost sounds like an oxymoron. Traditionally, bank CEOs did not give much thought to regulatory compliance unless something went wrong. However, as the regulatory environment continues to be enforcement-focused, bank CEOs must scan not only the economic landscape, but the regulatory one as well.

Mortgage securitization blew up the home price bubble and detonated the financial crisis. How?

Despite new threats of legal challenges or hopes for structural changes, this agency cannot be wished away. But banks can still influence the size and nature of the role the CFPB will play.

Presidential elections historically turn on the condition of the economy, and economic recovery has historically relied on a housing market recovery.

Customers might think banks are giving them great deals when they’re actually getting ripped off. Upfront charges, however annoying, are far preferable to hidden costs.