Regulation

Republican Sen. Pat Toomey criticized the degree of "opacity" surrounding some community benefit agreements, or written deals between banks and community groups ahead of a merger that often involve billions of dollars of commitments.

Frustrations with gatekeeping, a lack of diversity and the way home appraisal is overseen are spurring many practitioners to call for an overhaul of the industry's governance structure.

At an industry conference, a Federal Reserve official spoke about standardizing climate risk disclosures, while a representative from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency examined the red-state backlash against banks that disfavor fossil fuels.

Smarter tech solutions can help banks worried about fines from regulators keep their employees on authorized apps and devices.

After the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency cracked down on a $2.8 billion-asset bank, industry observers expect more scrutiny of the ties between banks and financial technology startups.

Technology designed to direct more consumers online can create difficulties for groups that rely on branches and other in-person services, according to Janis Bowdler, a racial equity counselor with the Treasury Department.

Though fewer people are writing checks, banks of all sizes are seeing a massive increase in check fraud since 2020. Recouping losses from bad checks is pitting banks against each other, and regulators may have to weigh in.