Policy & Regulation

A federal judge has directed regulators to stop blocking a hedge fund from conducting discovery into the government's decision to sweep Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's profits in the coffers of the U.S. Treasury.

A highly anticipated government report due to be released July 31 is expected to say big banks received less of a subsidy from the perception that they are "too big to fail." But it remains uncertain whether that would continue to be true in a future crisis or if market conditions change.

U.S. regulators are poised to label MetLife a potential threat to the financial system, subjecting the insurer to oversight by the Federal Reserve, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

Independent mortgage lenders are concerned that regulators will use the report as an excuse to raise minimum net worth requirements for smaller lenders.

As the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City prepares to host next month's annual gathering of central bankers in Wyoming, seasoned Fed watchers from the financial markets, including the chief U.S. economists of the biggest American banks, aren't being invited, according to past participants.

Between the proposed virtual currency regulations in New York and those already established in Texas, the future of Bitcoin would be brighter if more states follow the Lone Star State's example, says Jacob Farber, senior counsel for Perkins Coie LLP.

Advocates blame the securitization-financed, institutional-scale landlords for astronomical rents and poor maintenance and call for Congressional hearings and government oversight.

Most big banks have reported lower revenue for the second quarter, the downside of trying to beef up loans in a hotly competitive, low-rate lending market. Earnings reports at BB&T and SunTrust shed light on the problems of yield and margin that lie below the surface throughout the industry and threaten growth prospects.

Top lawmakers on the House Financial Services Committee debated the value of the Dodd-Frank Act in dueling reports on Monday, commemorating the financial reform law's fourth anniversary.

As the Dodd-Frank law turns four years old, policymakers appear increasingly willing to revisit a key requirement that says banks with $50 billion of assets are systemically risky.