Policy & Regulation

Wells Fargo said it can't fully meet demand from small businesses rushing to participate in a U.S. relief program because of constraints imposed by the Federal Reserve on the bank's growth.

Banks will tell the Fed they would remain strong after payouts; customers would need $250,000 in liquid assets on deposit at the bank to qualify to refinance.

First State Bank, which the FDIC sold to MVB Financial, had struggled with profitability and capital levels for several years.

Emergency loan program plagued by chaos on eve of launch; why Moven, one of the first challenger banks, is calling it quits; Fed faces conundrum on whether to remove Wells Fargo's asset cap; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The decision sparked outrage from small-business owners who have checking accounts with the bank but not loans or business credit cards. Bank of America started taking applications Friday for a $349 billion program that's intended to offer aid to small businesses suffering from the shocks of the coronavirus pandemic.

The agency proposed changes in December to how customer relationships affect the definition of brokered funds, which has big implications for banks that are not well capitalized.

Requiring banks to test themselves is likely to be a waste of time in the current crisis, says a former Senate Banking counsel.

Regulators point to traditional financial institutions as well-positioned to meet short-term credit needs during the coronavirus pandemic, but there are still a host of questions about whether the industry should try to compete with high-cost lenders.

The agencies will give the industry another month to submit feedback on the so-called covered fund portion of the rule "in light of potential disruptions resulting from the coronavirus.”

If Capitol Hill plans another round of stimulus, Democrats could have more leverage to demand steps such as suspending overdraft fees – a measure which could have a big impact on credit union revenue.