CECL

Democrats and Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee called for steps to minimize the harm to community banks and credit unions bracing for the new accounting standard.

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants says banks are fighting accounting fatigue — thank CECL for that — and wants the FASB to push back a deadline for privately held firms to put operating leases on their balance sheets.

Banking officials can reasonably disagree on new standards for current expected credit losses, but the accounting body developed the rules over many years and based them on extensive feedback.

The standards board has been granted vast authority without having to answer to policymakers, and its latest accounting method, CECL, will be a disaster for small banks.

During the first full day of the National Credit Union Collections Alliance's annual conference, speakers discussed what regulators are focusing on and shared best practices for debt collections.

With an implementation deadline less than a year away, bankers will be pressed to detail how a new accounting rule for loan losses will affect reserves, earnings and capital.

The regulatory relief bill passed last year eliminated mandatory stress tests for dozens of regional and midsize banks, yet many banks continue running internal tests anyway. Here’s why.

Publicly traded banks will have to book expected losses on loans starting next year; the jump in mortgage refinancings could be a mixed bag for banks.

Congress granted banks significant reg relief last year, but incoming ICBA Chairman Preston Kennedy says a lighter touch is needed with Bank Secrecy Act rules, loan-loss modeling and call reports.

BB&T-SunTrust deal came together with remarkable speed; Citi and Chase take on fintechs at their own game; CECL spells trouble for small banks, consumers; and more from this week’s most-read stories.