Opinions

The most likely picks for comptroller of the currency have pushed tech-driven approaches to financial inclusion and anti-money-laundering, and would bring new perspective to regulating cryptocurrencies.

The Senate’s confirmation of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was notably bipartisan. But experts say congressional Republicans are poised to give nominees for the federal banking agencies heavier scrutiny.

The most likely picks for comptroller of the currency have pushed tech-driven approaches to financial inclusion and anti-money-laundering, and would bring new perspective to regulating cryptocurrencies.

President Biden’s executive order requiring agencies to weigh the impact of pending policies on underserved groups could have a lasting effect on issues from reforming the Community Reinvestment Act to fair lending.

Todd Harper, a Democrat, says he will continue his efforts to increase the agency's consumer advocacy role, despite opposition from the industry and two Republican board members.

A tax that banks successfully opposed throughout the Obama administration was endorsed by the president on the campaign trail and is supported by many prominent Democrats in Congress as a means of funding government spending.

The agency has amassed more in fines than it has returned to wronged customers. With Democrats now in power, some hope the bureau will allocate the unused money more aggressively.

U.S. banks and payment companies are looking to Europe's example to see how open banking can push the market beyond its reliance on credit and debit cards.

Harper, a Democrat, had long been expected to be promoted to the chairmanship under a Biden administration, but he could face an uphill climb moving his priorities forward.

Under a proposed rule change, credit unions would no longer need to seek pre-approval from the regulator before entering into interest rate swaps, speeding up transactions for some of the industry’s biggest institutions that already hold over 80% of total assets.