Opinions

I was reminded recently that the origin of the term vigilante stemmed from the vigilance committees formed in our nation's early days on the frontier where official law enforcement was either weak or nonexistent. They were established for the purpose of providing an environment where law abiding folks could be protected from the law breakers. Vigilance committees were noble and well-intentioned, but often quickly deteriorated into mobs and were characterized by outbreaks of mob rule.

The acting head of the FHFA said Thursday he is “deeply concerned” about underwater borrowers, but that forbearance plans and short sales already serve as forms of principal reduction.

First the Republicans pass a bill they must know had zero chance of enactment, misleadingly claiming it will cut the deficit. Even more absurdly, they then compare the Office of Financial Research to Big Brother.

Supporters of allowing more business lending by credit unions get nods from a consumer group and a group of conservatives and free-market organizations. Meanwhile, a Michigan credit union joins banks in opposing the measure.

To the extent the public is aware of the low-profile Office of Financial Research, House Republicans are working to make sure that those perceptions are negative.

Although the Government Accountability Office gave the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. its stamp of approval for 2010 and 2011 financial statements, the watchdog yet again said that the FDIC had overestimated the cost of certain of loss-sharing deals.

Patrice Ficklin, the CFPB's assistant director for fair lending, provided a glimpse into the bureau's fair lending work at a housing conference in Washington Wednesday.

Nearly a year after it returned to profitability, Citizens Republic Bancorp Inc. (CRBC) of Flint, Mich., has been released from its enforcement action with the Federal Reserve.

Particularly vexing is one bank’s requirement that cardholders sign up for a payment protection service before receiving materials describing it. Hawaii deserves praise for protecting residents from these questionable practices.

Comptroller of the Currency Thomas Curry on Thursday urged eligible borrowers to sign up for the OCC's foreclosure-review process, and suggested that homeowners who didn't like the results would still be able to sue their mortgage servicers later.