Regulation

Chairman Jerome Powell said the Federal Reserve's actions during the coronavirus outbreak have been aimed squarely at helping U.S. workers, not Wall Street or wealthier Americans. He also said Friday that a new lending program geared toward middle-market firms is "days away" from getting up and running.

The Independent Community Bankers of America has asked NCUA's inspector general to review the agency's decision to change how low-income credit unions receive that designation.

The new regulation is intended as a workaround for banks affected by the 2015 decision that created legal uncertainty for loans sold across state lines.

The takeaway from the PPP rollout is that bankers must protect their reputations and limit their risk appetites as they participate in further government-backed rescue programs.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, would give small businesses greater flexibility in how they use the funds; not everyone's on board with Otting's signature achievement.

The congressional showdown over the pace of rulemaking during the pandemic is a hardening of older positions on banking policy ahead of the 2020 elections, observers said.

The general structure of this year’s reviews is unchanged despite the pandemic. But a supplemental analysis of banks' response to the downturn could weigh heavily in evaluating 2020 capital distributions and making adjustments to the tests over the long run.

Payouts continue to be relatively generous, but that could change if the Federal Reserve demands banks bolster capital or the economy worsens.

The credit union regulator is adding line items to required quarterly reporting in order to better account for loan forbearance, CUs lending through the Paycheck Protection Program and more.

Banks would be wise to dust off their Great Recession playbook and shed nonperforming loans while growing through M&A.