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After several years of financial policy defeats, banks finally basked in a legislative victory: the first real package of regulatory relief since the crisis. But the long-term effects of that victory are still to be determined. Here is what it all means.

President plans to ease regulatory burden on the largest banks; online merchants say a Visa-Mastercard button blocks cheaper payment methods.

Readers celebrate first quarter earnings, weigh in on banks using blockchain, slam a postal banking proposal and more.

While industry officials welcomed a bulletin from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency encouraging banks to develop alternatives to payday loans, they are making no commitments to offer such products.

With President Trump signing the regulatory relief bill into law on Thursday, credit unions expect to see a host of benefits, including changes to MBL regs, HMDA exemptions, changes to the QM rule and more.

The remarks by the comptroller of the currency came as his agency released a new report on emerging risks in the banking industry.

Though the regulatory relief law easing the Dodd-Frank Act does little to help the biggest banks, it is still fueling progressive Democrats' anger at Wall Street. That will matter when Democrats eventually retake power.

The NCUA board is considering adding as many as two additional payday alternative loan options for credit unions, and regulators have clarified a rule on severance claims after involuntary credit union liquidations.

Jelena McWilliams, most recently chief legal officer at Fifth Third, previously served as a Senate GOP aide and an attorney at the Federal Reserve Board.

As President Trump signed the regulatory relief bill into law on Thursday, most of the attention was on a provision to help regional banks with more than $50 billion of assets. But a majority of the new law is aimed at helping institutions below $10 billion. Here's how.