Regulation

Sen. Tim Johnson, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, is expected to announce at a press conference tomorrow that he will retire when his term ends next year.

New York Fed chief William Dudley said interest-rate risk is a concern, but the Fed's policy does not subsidize banks. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, meanwhile, said recent monetary policy decisions are not causing imbalance to exchange rates.

Our best chance to counter the government policies that caused the crisis (and continue to endanger the banking system) is, paradoxically, another distasteful state intrusion.

With debates about dealing with large firms still persisting in the U.S., the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is expanding its international presence to prepare for cross-border bank cleanups.

Tim Pawlenty, the CEO of the Financial Services Roundtable, says that complying with new regulations is the foremost concern for retail bankers. He spoke with American Banker at the Best Practices in Retail Financial Services Symposium.

Two historical allies of the housing industry's push for more homeowners – the National Council of La Raza and the National Community Reinvestment Corporation – are now endorsing a cut in the mortgage interest deduction.

The Senate passed budget amendments over the weekend to break up the big banks and restrict the use of certain fee hikes at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reduce government spending.

For many small and midsize banks, AML is all about compliance and getting through an examination without too many bruises. The means overshadow the ends.

The Federal Reserve Board has approved FirstMerit's pending acquisition of Citizens Republic Bancorp (CRBC) in Flint, Mich.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has terminated a written agreement with Intervest National Bank in New York.