Policy & Regulation

The debate over Rep. Jeb Hensarling's bill to overhaul the Dodd-Frank Act is increasingly focusing on widely different philosophies about capital regulation.

WASHINGTON — The head of the American Bankers Association on Tuesday defended financial institutions' partnerships with fintech firms but argued that banks top nonbank startups in serving as "trusted custodians" for their customers' funds.

As policymakers try to calibrate the appropriate level of regulatory oversight still six years after Dodd-Frank, financial institutions large and small must stay engaged in key policy debates.

The leading Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee said Tuesday he was "optimistic" about lawmakers' making changes to improve the Dodd-Frank Act next year, while lauding JPMorgan Chase's decision to raise its minimum wage from $10.15 an hour to $12.

The combination of smarter consumers and likely CFPB action have, oddly enough, pushed banks, especially large ones, to raise overdraft fees in recent months.

Offering a new product or considering a merger may boost returns, but the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency says changes in strategy can be risky.

While diversity at the federal agencies overall is roughly consistent with the rest of the country, diversity declines sharply among those in senior leadership roles.

Expect banks to pull back on energy lending in the near term, as regulators step up their scrutiny of oil loans and bankers approach the business with a "different attitude," says Mariner Kemper, chairman and chief executive at UMB Financial in Kansas City, Mo.

Its watchdog said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. failed to implement measures that could have prevented at least eight cybersecurity breaches from departing employees over the last year.

WASHINGTON — The House approved a spending bill Thursday that would change the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and take away the Financial Stability Oversight Council's power to designate nonbanks as systemically important.