Opinions

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

The financial system will be safer if accounting standards force banks to incorporate risk into the way they value and report cash and cash equivalents.

On its face, the House vote late Thursday to approve a spending bill that included an unrelated provision written by Citigroup was a big legislative victory for the bank and its fellow Wall Street behemoths. Yet it’s also a victory that comes at a high price.

The House narrowly passed a massive $1.1 trillion spending plan Thursday night, moving the bill to the Senate, where the fight over a Dodd-Frank Act derivatives measure is likely to continue.

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt's decision Thursday to stand up the affordable housing trust funds sharply divided lawmakers along party lines, with Democrats welcoming the decision as overdue while Republicans denounced it as a mistake.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took action Thursday against two companies for allegedly running "scams" that promised relief for struggling student loan borrowers.

International bank regulators finalized changes Thursday that will greatly diminish the role of external ratings agencies in weighting the risk of securitized assets in capital requirements.

There's little point to Fannie and Freddie's large profits if that money is remitted to the Treasury rather than making the GSEs more financially stable.

After a six-year delay, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will finally begin setting aside a portion of their revenues to fund the development of rental housing for low-income families.

The House unanimously approved a measure Wednesday night clarifying the Federal Reserve's ability to set separate capital standards for systemically important insurers.