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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to hold a long-awaited vote later this week on the confirmation of Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. With the opposition GOP planning to block the nomination, the move is a rehash of past battles and a sign that politics is once again trumping pragmatism in bank policymaking, argues Washington Bureau Chief Rob Blackwell. Ironically, the Republican's opposition will keep the CFPB focused largely on banks, rather than on their nonbank rivals, and could end up doing their banker friends more harm than good.

The best-connected bankers in town combine heartfelt community involvement with hard-headed pragmatism about the importance of personal relationships when doing business. American Banker Magazine Editor Heather Landy discusses what others can learn from their examples.

Tim Pawlenty, the CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, says the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been forging a "constructive" relationship with the banking industry, especially as it dealt with qualified mortgage and remittance rules.

Risks posed by the shadow banking system, the need for regulators to work through disagreements and housing reform were among the key concerns among top financial policymakers gathered at the Federal Reserve's annual conference in Chicago last week.

The Treasury Department has moved to rein in Mt. Gox, the world’s largest exchange for the all-digital currency Bitcoin. The move raises the specter that the government is intent on eliminating anonymous Bitcoin transactions, which could dramatically reduce the currency’s allure to many users.

Authentication and other bank securities technologies are a major focus at Finovate's Spring conference, reflecting the industry's strong demand for improved safeguards. Technology Reporter Sean Sposito reports from San Francisco.

A media frenzy has erupted around an upcoming vote by JPMorgan Chase shareholders over whether Jamie Dimon should be permitted to retain the joint titles of chairman and chief executive officer. The controversy comes at a time when the bank is recording record profits. But it also faces risk management, legal and regulatory challenges, as well as top-level departures, that raise serious questions about the soundness of its board oversight and leadership. American Banker editors discuss the stakes for JPMorgan Chase’s leader and his shareholders.