Regulation

Moody's downgraded a handful of banks and securities companies with global capital-market operations, including Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and HSBC.

Among the strongest industry rationales for a national mortgage servicing settlement was that it would break the legal stalemate over a huge backlog of delinquent loans. But five months after the deal was formally struck, the promised spike in foreclosures hasn't arrived.

Rep. Barney Frank joined Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren on Thursday to argue that Republicans will undo top provisions of Dodd-Frank if they capture the Senate this year.

The SEC chief's ideas for reforming the money market fund industry received a cool reception Thursday from members of the Senate Banking Committee.

Fees paid to outside auditors appear to have been relatively stable in recent years. So have legal expenses for smaller institutions since mid-2010, when the 2,000-odd pages of the Dodd-Frank Act became law.

Homeowners who faced wrongful foreclosure actions due to big banks' mortgage servicing failures are entitled to cash payments of as little as $1,000 to up to $125,000, according to new federal guidelines. But consumer advocates say that disparity is too wide.

The Federal Reserve Board has entered into written agreements with two companies requiring them to serve as sources of strength for their banks.

We at the FDIC continue to believe the small-dollar loan model is replicable and that these loans can be cost-effective and responsive to the needs of both consumers and bankers.

Regulators issued new guidance Thursday designed to provide relief for military homeowners who must move quickly to comply with orders.

Pinnacle Financial Partners (PNFP) in Nashville has repaid the remaining $71.6 million of the $95 million it received from the Treasury Department's Troubled Asset Relief Program in December 2008.