Opinions

It was a decidedly mixed bag for banks and credit unions in the Senate regulatory relief bill, with some institutions doing quite well while others were left out in the cold. Following is a guide to who was helped — and who lost out.

Jerome Powell has been in the public eye for decades. But what he would actually do with the job is unknown. American Banker reporter John Heltman explains.

The election of Democrat Phil Murphy as New Jersey's next governor is being hailed as a victory for advocates of state-owned banks. But challenges remain — namely, stubborn opposition from mainstream banks.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking more information about consumers' experience with free access to credit scores.

The company has reapplied to buy Civic Bank more than a year after a regulatory snag forced it to put the deal on ice.

While the Bank of America chief says he is encouraged by progress on tax reform, he cautioned that it remains politically and fiscally tough to accomplish, and that the wrong moves on immigration could offset some of the gains from tax cuts.

The regulatory relief bill would raise the SIFI threshold to $250 billion of assets and allow mortgages held in portfolio to be counted as "qualified," among other items, but it is far less sweeping than institutions had hoped.

While some community bankers and Washington advocates doubt the likelihood of achieving meaningful regulatory relief in the 115th Congress, the many measures advancing on Capitol Hill leave plenty of room for optimism.

During the past year, many have hoped for action from Washington that would alleviate regulatory burden and stem the rapid pace of consolidation. But in the current political environment, that appears increasingly unlikely.

As the banking industry moves closer to adopting a faster payments system, bank executives have begun to think through the impact it will have on clients and banks themselves.