Opinions

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. acknowledges in a new report that it didn't adequately monitor First Republic Bank's uninsured deposits, interest rate risk sensitivity and rapid growth — and as a result left the bank vulnerable to contagion.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s second-quarter report on the state of banking noted that while banks are enjoying strong profits, they face declining deposits, rising unrealized losses and shrinking net interest margins.

The settlement resolves allegations dating to 2014 and covers 85 minority employees who alleged they were paid lower wages than their white counterparts and faced retaliation.

The $100 million-asset bank ran afoul of various regulatory standards, including credit oversight, anti-money-laundering controls and third-party risk management.

Legislation before Congress would violate individuals' digital privacy by requiring digital wallet providers to intrusively gather and report highly personal information.

After remaining above $2 trillion for a year, the Federal Reserve's overnight reverse repurchase facility has seen steadily less use in recent months. The development is welcomed by banks, but could be a sign that certain financial players are shifting funds to riskier activities.

Switzerland on Wednesday proposed tougher AML rules as U.S. officials ramp up their critique of what they say is weak sanctions enforcement.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has issued proposals that would make banks with $100 billion of assets or more hold more long-term debt as a cost buffer in the event of a collapse and meet new planning requirements in case they ever have to be resolved in an emergency.

The Federal Reserve Board governors say they're worried about the added cost of the new requirement for non-systemically important banks as well as the implications for regulatory tailoring.

The regulatory overhaul for large and midsized banks could lead to stronger pressure for those banks to merge in the coming years while leaving smaller banks less competitive — and arguably less stable.