Opinions

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s pledge to rescind Trump-era Community Reinvestment Act reforms and work with other regulators suggests that an interagency agreement is within reach. But outstanding issues remain, particularly around the treatment of online banking activities.

Community development financial institutions could do more lending in low-income neighborhoods if policymakers relaxed accounting rules, increased government support and encouraged more investment from hedge funds and other nonbank lenders.

The state's department of financial services is asking firms that it supervises to report information about the composition of their boards and senior leadership. It expects to publish aggregate findings in early 2022.

A Senate hearing highlighted the two parties' starkly different views of digital assets, with Democrats warning of price manipulation and Republicans saying the government should just get out of the way.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown urged the agency to share insights about the risks posed by neobanks, such as the San Francisco firm that sparked a customer backlash earlier this year.

A three-judge panel determined that a lower-court ruling against two law firms specializing in mortgage repair had used the wrong measure to calculate restitution.

Community banks, which rely more on the charges than their larger counterparts do, were instrumental in staving off new regulation during the Obama era. But much has changed since Democrats last held power in Washington.

While federal regulators attempt to overhaul the Community Reinvestment Act for banks, Congress has shown little interest in applying it to other lenders. But recent moves in Illinois and New York have given some stakeholders hope that state lawmakers will pick up the slack.

Ensuring the safety and soundness of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan banks is the core responsibility of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. That shouldn't change now that the president has the authority to fire the FHFA's director at will.

The guarantor has for the first time proposed a risk-based capital requirement for companies not subject to other federal regulation. The industry says the plan, which would impose a heavy charge for servicing portfolios, could drive lenders away from government-backed programs.