Regulation

Fed chair says post-crisis financial reforms have strengthened the banking system and the economy; consumers again comfortable borrowing against their home equity.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., is calling on the FDIC to hold a public hearing on SoFi's application for deposit insurance.

The San Francisco bank is embroiled in a high-stakes legal battle over the use of arbitration in disputes involving overdraft fees at the same time that adversaries are portraying the scandal-plagued bank as the poster child for why reform is necessary.

Republicans are already accusing CFPB Director Richard Cordray of misusing his job as a fundraising platform while many agency allies want him to stay.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen defended post-crisis reforms but allowed that further adjustments may be necessary to reduce adverse effects on small businesses and subprime borrowers.

U.S. Bank and Wells Fargo to use Blend software to speed up mortgage origination processes; Robert Kaplan wants to keep stress tests on big banks.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika is using his short time in office to open a debate about the separation of banking and commerce, which he says is anti-competitive, stifles diversification and may limit regulators' options in times of crisis.

Lenders will not have to report data on open-ended home equity lines of credit in 2018 or 2019 if they originated fewer than 500 HELOCs the preceding year, the bureau said.

With the deadline for a federal-debt-limit renewal nearly a month away, bankers are dreading the prospect of higher funding costs, strained liquidity, weaker commercial loan demand and other ramifications if Washington does not act.

The uplifting story of another Virginia statue — this one honoring the first black female to charter a bank — is well-timed. Plus, JPMorgan Chase's O'Connor on laboring over Libor and U.S. Bank's Lawler on getting people to do the right thing.