Policy & Regulation

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.

The change — effective immediately — will reduce capital demands by about 2% overall, the Fed estimated, and will be open for a 45-day comment period.

The one-year relief is intended to free up lending to consumers and businesses; the online small business lender not making loans, shrinks credit lines, staff.

If Capitol Hill plans another round of stimulus, Democrats could have more leverage to demand steps such as suspending overdraft fees or placing a temporary cap on consumer lending rates.

Amid the coronavirus emergency, the central bank may have to decide at what point the imperatives of an economic crisis outweigh the requirements of its most severe enforcement action in recent memory.