Regulation

The same uncertainties about the economy, capital rules and other matters that are slowing deal activity could ultimately prod sellers to give in. The question is when.

Tax-preparation company H&R Block, Inc. said this week that it did not have a "compelling reason" to offer refund anticipation loans during the upcoming 2012 tax season — but the decision was out of its hands. Federal banking regulators last year effectively killed H&R Block's tax refund loan business.

Housing advocates and industry representatives said reducing the number of foreclosure properties and preventing new foreclosures is key to economic revival.

WASHINGTON — The Department of Labor said Wednesday it ordered Bank of America Corp. to pay $930,000 to an employee improperly fired in a whistleblower case.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is reviewing a regulatory exemption for mortgage real-estate investment trusts. If the SEC decides to lift the exemption, mortgage REITs could become unprofitable, and an important source of liquidity for the housing market could dry up, analysts say.

The American Bankers Association is calling on the Treasury Department to provide more details about rejected applications for the Small Business Lending Fund.

The clock is running down on investors looking to sue the nation's biggest banks over now-soured mortgage-backed securities.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. plans to close its temporary suburban Chicago office next September, nine months earlier than expected.

A bankruptcy judge Tuesday rejected Washington Mutual Inc.'s Chapter 11 plan for a second time, finding the company was too generous with senior creditors.

John Koelmel, head of fast-growing First Niagara, found himself literally and figuratively in the middle of the jobs debate.