Opinions

Participation in the Paycheck Protection Program and other emergency lending during the pandemic has swelled many small banks’ balance sheets. Federal regulators are giving them a temporary pass on supervisory requirements tied to their size.

The move comes a day after the Federal Reserve had balked at the Treasury Department's demand that it return funds meant for pandemic relief that have so far gone unused.

The former chairman recently butted heads with colleagues over the agency’s budget plans, and the Senate is expected to vote to confirm a successor early next month.

Some large banks have come under fire from the GOP for curbing services to firms in controversial industries, such as firearms and fossil fuels. A proposal by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency aims to block banks from taking such stances.

Democrats called the decision by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin "misguided," arguing that it's too soon to shutter the Federal Reserve's emergency-lending programs. Republicans say the programs have run their course and should expire a the end of the year.

Banks are responsible for reporting their business customers' beneficial owners, but a bill that would shift that anti-money-laundering duty to businesses themselves has been added to a must-pass defense spending package.

Bankers must identify money launderers and traffickers, and yet although not precluded, the current legal framework actually limits the sharing of data about potential suspicious activity and customers between institutions, says Giant Oak's Gary Schiffman.

If Congress speeds through Brian Brooks’ confirmation in the waning days of the Trump administration, it could make it harder for President-elect Biden to quickly put his stamp on banking policy.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin called on the Federal Reserve Thursday to let several of its emergency lending facilities expire at yearend and return unused funds provided by Congress. But the central bank wants the programs to continue.

The credit union regulator's November board meeting covered a variety of issues, including the voluntary self-assessment, disagreements on the budget proposal and the possibility of new insurance premiums in 2021.