Regulation

The Bancorp in Wilmington, Del., said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will assess an insurance premium surcharge after a broader ruling on the status of prepaid cards.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said Wednesday that it was seeking comment on a so-called "safe student account scorecard" that colleges could use to see how banks structure the fees, features and "sales tactics" of financial products to students before forming a partnership.

Federal bank regulators will gather feedback on regulatory relief ideas at a public meeting on Feb. 4 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the agencies said Wednesday.

The Federal Reserve's regular economic snapshot showed a moderate but consistent increase in credit quality and demand for banking services nationwide, though the report noted that sources of demand were highly variable and major financial stresses remained in some regions.

A federal agency's plan to tighten membership rules for Federal Home Loan banks would hurt community banks and credit unions — and could endanger the financial system, according to a broad array of stakeholders, including state regulators, lawmakers and institutions.

House lawmakers approved a package of financial services bills on Wednesday, including a controversial delay of the Volcker Rule, despite strong opposition from key Democrats.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is considering releasing a tool that would show schools exactly how much financial institutions will charge borrowers for providing certain account services on campus.

The agency appears to be on the verge of reining in lawsuits that have cost banks hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years.

Regardless of the outcome, MetLife's decision to fight the Financial Stability Oversight Council's ruling that the insurer is "systemically important" will have serious implications for the council's ability to rein in nonbanks.

Capital markets hold the key to the future for the consolidating Wall Street landlords, but the path through is downright bloody.