Opinions

Bankers shouldn't complain about intrusive government regulation while begging Congress to extend unlimited deposit insurance on large transaction accounts. It's disingenuous, and perhaps worse, it's dangerous politics.

The Obama Administration is pushing back against a recent news report that concluded U.S. taxpayers will subsidize the roughly $25 billion mortgage settlement.

CoBank, the largest lender in the government-backed Farm Credit System, reported record profits in 2011 as higher prices for key commodities such as corn, wheat and soy led to increased loan demand from large cooperatives and agribusinesses.

For banks, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's plans to take a close look at checking account overdraft fees puts a multi-billion dollar source of revenue at risk.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau launched an inquiry Feb. 22 into overdraft-protection practices, requesting data from a number of banks on their policies, terms and marketing of such programs.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday it plans to examine overdraft protection practices, including policies, terms and marketing of such programs, and their effect on consumers.

In a perfect world, state attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice would have worked hand in hand with bank regulators to fix foreclosure wrongs. But that's not how the world works.

Britton & Koontz Bank in Natchez, Miss., has been ordered by its regulator to immediately take steps to reduce the level of risk in its loan portfolio.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency offered more details Tuesday for how it plans to create a new infrastructure for the secondary mortgage market and reduce the role of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Industry lawyers were feeling confident late last year about a key case pending before the Supreme Court. But now the case has fizzled, and federal officials have issued a proposal that could hurt banks' chances of victory in the future.