Opinions

Regulators on Thursday heeded complaints by financial institutions to provide precise guidance on when they would have to comply with the so-called "Volcker Rule," saying full compliance was not expected before July 21, 2014.

A Federal Reserve rule has sown confusion about the way lenders pay housing appraisers, creating new turmoil in an industry already burdened by expensive middlemen, falling home prices and diminished ranks.

Small-business lending may be heating up for the most creditworthy borrowers, but gaps in that market remain, according to Small Business Administration head Karen Mills.

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's office is suing Christopher Rojas of Irvine, Calif., for running a foreclosure rescue operation that used multiple business names and failed to deliver on promises to lower consumers' mortgage payments. The lawsuit charges Rojas with multiple violations of Ohio's consumer laws.

In October of last year the acting chairman of the FDIC said at the annual ABA meeting, "the FDIC is going to undertake a number in initiatives to further our understanding of the challenges and opportunities for community banks."

Larry Hattix believes that adding outside bureaucracy "will significantly delay exam processing and corrective actions," while making it more difficult for regulators to intervene when problems arise at banks and thrifts.

WASHINGTON — In a largely symbolic party-line vote Wednesday, the Republican-led House Financial Services Committee voted Wednesday to repeal the government's authority to wind down large, failing financial institutions, and recommended slashing funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to pursue actions against lenders for discriminatory practices, even when that discrimination is unintentional.

Annapolis Bancorp (ANNB) has repaid half of the $8.2 million it owed the Treasury Department under the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

American Express Co., InComm and other prepaid card marketers are in discussions with New Jersey officials and lawmakers that could bring an end to a situation that caused the removal of certain prepaid cards from retailers' shelves in that state.