Opinions

Small lenders are hoping a new representation and warranty framework by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will offer them alternatives to loan repurchases.

WASHINGTON — A smaller percentage of U.S. households in 2013 were unbanked compared with two years earlier, just as less traditional financial services products such as prepaid cards grew in usage among those without a bank account.

Policymakers are closing in on developing rules key to ensuring the ability of the government to take over failing behemoths, but the ultimate success of their plan may depend on how fast regulators can act.

A former Georgia community banker who faked his own death two years ago was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 30 years in prison for committing fraud that led to a bank's failure.

The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday issued a final rule establishing common risk management standards for all financial market utilities subject to central bank supervision.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a report Tuesday highlighting illegal servicing practices in the $1.2 trillion student lending market, including charging illegal late fees, allocating payments to maximize late fees and misrepresenting minimum payments.

A senior lawmaker's bid to take the Financial Services Committee gavel next year from Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, is unlikely to prove successful, but the effort could still have far-reaching implications for House Republicans.

Many of the checking accounts offered on U.S. military bases come under criticism in a new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Board members at smaller banks tend to dismiss the importance of the annual self-assessment process. But as board governance attracts growing regulatory scrutiny, directors should embrace the chance to identify areas for improvement.

Housing policy needs to be refocused on strengthening household balance sheets, especially by making borrowersmore resilient to home price declines. A new 15-year fixed-rate mortgage that allows borrowers to use the down payment to buy down the interest rate on the loan is designed to do just that.