Regulation

The debate over whether banks should be run by separate chairmen and chief executives has gained fresh urgency as proxy season has arrived. Even at the biggest banks, the question remains far from resolved.

Regulators and lawmakers should take steps to encourage banks to use their excess reserves to accommodate consumer credit demand.

The record shows that regulators and prosecutors have charged bank D&Os and other employees in ways that affect their personal net worth and freedom.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has joined New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take the Cities for Financial Empowerment program nationwide.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has begun targeting large nonbank debt collectors, starting with data requests that eventually will lead to physical audits of the companies' operations.

Small-business loans resulting from a government program jumped by 20% during the fourth quarter, with the Treasury estimating it has helped more than 38,000 total loans since it began nearly two years ago.

The debt collection industry is bracing for significant reform as collectors are scrutinizing their own practices ahead of the first set of examinations by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has joined forces with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to take a local financial protection program nationwide.

Rising home prices and the ongoing quest for new revenues are prompting lenders to take a second look at a product that fell out of fashion following the housing bust.

More than 300,000 people have signed a petition calling on the Obama administration to "repudiate" Attorney General Eric Holder's remarks suggesting some banks are "too big to jail."