Opinions

Jelena McWilliams, a Trump appointee, pushed back Wednesday on reports that an incoming Democratic majority may be able to enact policy at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. without her support. "The chairman really controls the board agenda," she said.

The Federal Reserve will determine within days whether to extend the easing of the supplementary leverage ratio for big banks past March 31, Chairman Jerome Powell says. And it's a couple of weeks away from announcing whether there will be limits on second-quarter dividends and buybacks, he says.

The Ohio Democrat and chairman of the Senate Banking Committee told a virtual gathering of the American Bankers Association that FedAccounts, a plan opposed by industry trade groups, will lead to more bank customers.

Federal Savings Bank, the Chicago bank that lent millions of dollars to Paul Manafort under its founder and former longtime CEO, has now sued the former Trump campaign chairman and his wife, seeking to foreclose upon his mansion in the Hamptons.

The IRS, FDIC and more than 70 banks and credit unions are urging consumers to open affordable accounts so they can receive their Economic Impact Payments quickly and safely. Many people have signed up, but millions lack accounts and will be harder to serve.

The company is still searching for someone to fill the roll on a full-time basis, but the $600,000 annual salary cap may limit the candidate pool.

The proposed legislation is similar to a package put forward in 2020 and another introduced in the House in 2019.

As the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau weighs rules on protecting customer information shared between banks and third parties, it should consider giving consumers full authority over their financial data and committing to direct oversight of everyone involved, including data aggregators and fintechs.

The Senate Banking Committee is questioning whether Goldman Sachs Group paid dividends at the expense of lending to businesses and households during the pandemic as lawmakers take a broad look at the support big banks offered clients to get through the economic slump.

Lawmakers this week will continue to discuss extending the Paycheck Protection Program, and the National Credit Union Administration is scheduled to hold its monthly board meeting.