Policy & Regulation

Why do we instinctively cower to power after financial crises and human tragedies? And what can be done about it?

The credit card network is being targeted by liberal investors over its ties to a conservative group that lobbies at the state level.

Thomas W. Swidarski has stepped down from his positions as president and CEO of Diebold and resigned from the company's board of directors under pressure from the board, a spokesman said.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau garnered a positive reaction after the release of the "qualified mortgage" rule, which governs mortgage underwriting. The industry is optimistic that the still-pending securitization rule may also turn out better than expected.

Thomas Swidarski was Diebold's top exec from 2005 to January 2013. It wasn't an easy job.

"A real bank failure has yet to test the Dodd-Frank Act's resolution regime, but an industry group says its realistic mock-up shows the facility can prevent systemic fallout," writes American Banker's Joe Adler.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a series of rules overhauling the mortgage system. One rule released on Friday bans compensation to mortgage originators based on loan terms, including a higher interest rate or generally a high-cost loan.

As a part of several appraisal rules released last week, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will require mortgage lenders to release free copies of home appraisals to borrowers.

Following a positive industry reaction to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Qualified Mortgage regulation, bankers are feeling good about the prospects that the related QRM rule will bring additional flexibility.

The lawmaker behind the Federal Reserve and Glass-Steagall Acts understood that unless legislation imposes specific rules, including clear limits on financial institutions' activities, we are bound to have lax regulation, excessive speculation, and crises.