Opinions

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen defended Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s record on regulating the financial system amid attacks by progressives seeking to deny him a second term — even though in the past she’s expressed some misgivings about rulemaking under his watch.

As the expiration of a national eviction moratorium puts economic pressure on low-income households, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is said to be considering investigating credit bureaus, debt collectors and large landlords accused of harming renters. But some argue the agency would be overreaching.

Financial advisors have a variety of objectives in working with their investment-planning clients. But when all is said and done, clients are usually mainly interested in a successful road map to growing and protecting their wealth to and through retirement.

NatWest Group could face a fine of several hundred million pounds from the U.K.’s financial watchdog after pleading guilty to three criminal charges of money laundering.

The companies said they are still waiting for the Federal Reserve to approve the deal, which was announced nearly a year ago and was scheduled to close by Oct. 15. The new deadline is March 1.

Acting Director Sandra Thompson said the Federal Housing Finance Agency is considering changes to the risk-based fees that critics say have disproportionately hurt minority borrowers of low down-payment loans.

The Federal Reserve chairman told lawmakers that the central bank wouldn't try to block other cryptocurrency providers if it decides to issue a digital dollar. At the same hearing, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen continued to defend a proposal requiring banks to report customer account information to the IRS.

Cornell University law professor Saule Omarova could be nominated as early as this week to lead the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, according to sources. Her appointment would be a shot across the bow for Wall Street as she’s expected to pursue tougher oversight and stricter rules.

The agency organized a vehicle seeded with $120 million from anchor investors — including Truist and Microsoft — enabling minority-owned banks and community development financial institutions to seek capital for development projects in underserved areas.

Changes made in the waning days of the previous administration limited the government-sponsored enterprises’ purchases of certain loan types, which drew criticism from lenders and community groups alike.