Diversity and equality

The Madison, Wis.-based think tank will launch its Centers for Excellence starting next year.

The power couple wants to help turn Acorns Grow from a niche app into a megabank; with many floating-rate loans, regionals’ profits drop as yields slip.

Alternatives Federal Credit Union is making loans to pay for gender-reassignment surgery, but the initiative has bothered some members.

Deutsche Bank overhaul plan will put taxpayers and the financial system at risk; the San Antonio company names three women to key technology positions; issuers like Chase and Citi need to think beyond traditional card options; and more from this week's most-read stories.

The agency says the "disparate impact" standard needs to be amended to align with a recent Supreme Court ruling. But consumer advocates say the change would make it more difficult for borrowers to allege discrimination under the Fair Housing Act.

Agencies like Fincen and Finra that use machine learning must pay close attention to potential bias in supervisory algorithms, especially with data on women and minorities.

With women and minorities holding less than 25% of top positions at the eight largest U.S. banks, House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters and other Democrats called on banks to improve their recruiting efforts and invest in programs aimed at building pipelines of diverse talent.

The San Antonio company named Judith Frey vice president of digital banking, Maria Alvarez Mann chief information officer for bank technology and Carri Arnold bank technology officer.

A Fed-led working group may pressure Wall Street to adopt SOFR; challenger banks with smartphone-based accounts soar.

Under a proposal yet to be officially unveiled, plaintiffs relying on the so-called “disparate impact” doctrine would have to show a more direct link between a lender’s policy and discriminatory effect.

Eric Blankenstein, now at HUD, is under fire for asking a subordinate to defend him after it was revealed he wrote racially charged blogs 14 years earlier.

The bill, similar to legislation that passed the chamber last year, would permit the inclusion of items such as rent and telecom payments to help consumers build their credit profiles.

Jewelry maker Alex and Ani LLC demanded $1.1 billion in damages from Bank of America in a lawsuit alleging lending discrimination against a women-led company that was once featured in advertisements promoting the bank's commitment to diversity.

State regulator Ron Rubin had been asked to resign in May over a sexual harassment complaint, but he attempted to fight the allegations.

Jill Nowacki will serve as CEO of Humanidei, which will focus on diversity and inclusion in the credit union industry.

The CFPB did not file any fair-lending enforcement actions in the 2018 fiscal year and did not refer any Equal Credit Opportunity Act violations to the Department of Justice.

Once a poster child for corporate wrongdoing, Citi has bolstered its reputation by taking bold stands on polarizing social issues, such as climate change and gun control, and declaring its commitment to move more women and minorities into managerial roles. Here's how it aims to do even better.

After years of largely standing on the sidelines, lawmakers are taking a closer look at whether algorithms used by banks and fintechs to make lending decisions could make discrimination worse instead of better.

The bank believes its U.S. unit will pass this year’s stress test but Fed restrictions will stay; COO is the second member of CEO’s inner circle to leave.

Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, refuses to attend any meetings in which she would be the only woman; Sallie Krawcheck says the fact that women still are paid less than men is partly the fault of society at large; and more in this week's WIB Scan.