Policy & Regulation

The House Financial Services Committee wrestled with concerns over "too big to fail" on Wednesday, pressing current and former regulators, including Richard Fisher and Sheila Bair, on how the Dodd-Frank Act could be improved to prevent future bank bailouts.

Issuers are adding another layer of protection at a time when lawmakers are examining how to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and bring private capital back into the mortgage market.

Various loan types have been yielding fatter margins over banks’ cost of funds through much of the Fed’s campaign to stimulate the economy. Blame banks' tight overall margins on cash and securities.

Sheila Bair said Tuesday that the Senate should confirm Richard Cordray as director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bankers and companies including JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup praised landmark Supreme Court decisions that expanded federal benefits and struck down some restrictions on same-sex marriage.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Tuesday advised banks and other financial companies how to respond to an investigation to minimize the risk of punishment.

Bank investors will be able to assess which lenders are over-reliant on debt starting in 2015, under plans from global regulators to curb financial firms' addiction to borrowing to fuel their activities.

Banks and regulators have proposed bail-in mechanisms for capital plans. Exposing creditors to losses could help protect taxpayers and depositors, but is long-term debt an adequate substitute for equity?

Reverse stress tests, effective board oversight and incentive programs that encourage caution curb the tendency to accept excessive risk in the pursuit of business objectives.

Bank of America and Barclays are among more than a dozen banks sued by the Regents of the University of California over claims they manipulated of the London Interbank Offered Rate.