Policy & Regulation

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Michael Barr Wednesday discussed regulators' ongoing concerns over banks' unrealized losses and commercial real estate values — particularly in the office sector.

The Federal Reserve Board governor also said the central bank needs to make operational improvements to its last resort lending facility.

Weekend direct deposit would benefit workers, consumers and businesses. The Federal Reserve itself said it was in favor of such an expansion nearly a decade ago. There is no better time than now.

The Federal Reserve governor said regulators should strive for clarity and consistency as they tweak their merger review processes. She also waved off concerns about regulators being a "rubber stamp" for bank combinations.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau received nearly 28,000 mortgage-related consumer grievances in 2023, the regulator said.

The agency's abuse of criminal investigative demands, with no recourse of overburdened small businesses, is yet another example of why it is viewed as a rogue agency, unaccountable to anyone.

A federal appeals court is putting the transfer of a lawsuit challenging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on hold pending the outcome of a hearing on the suit's appropriate venue.

The steady drumbeat of consent orders against banks that offer banking as a service continues, with regulators telling banks to keep a closer eye on their fintech partners' compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and money laundering rules.

The proposed data sharing rules could create opportunities for forward-thinking financial institutions to better serve their customers and meet ever-growing expectations for digital finance.

There are lingering questions related to the agency's 1033 proposal, including how to balance access to information with fraud prevention. But financial institutions should look for ways that access to additional data could help them create better products.