Opinions

The Obama Administration's issued looser rules Thursday for transactions in the small island nation, but banks still face impediments.

Under pressure from Congress and credit unions, the NCUA significantly dialed back its proposal to institute risk-based capital requirements, raising the threshold of which institutions must comply and softening other provisions.

Facing the prospect of losing its license in California, Ocwen would be wise to settle its probe by state regulators in a timely manner, observers said. If it doesn't, the mortgage servicer could lose significant revenue and might even face a cash crunch.

Regulators on Thursday posted another round of abridged resolution plans for regional U.S. banks and scores of foreign-owned institutions.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., is quickly assembling his team after being formally named head of the Banking Committee just last week, with many current and former staffers for the lawmaker taking top slots.

While put-backs and litigation risk are widely recognized as factors that have contributed to tight credit conditions, another factor — high servicing costs for nonperforming loans — is being overlooked.

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will assess an insurance premium surcharge after a broader ruling on the status of prepaid cards.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it was seeking comment on a so-called "safe student account scorecard" that colleges could use to see how banks structure the fees, features and "sales tactics" of financial products to students before forming a partnership.

Federal bank regulators will gather feedback on regulatory relief ideas at a public meeting on Feb. 4 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the agencies said Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve's regular economic snapshot showed a moderate but consistent increase in credit quality and demand for banking services nationwide, though the report noted that sources of demand were highly variable and major financial stresses remained in some regions.