Economy

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced Friday that 84 foreign banks with limited U.S. operations will be able to file more condensed resolution plans, decreasing the administrative burden and cost.

The Bank of England is among the central banks exploring possible uses of blockchain technology. In a recent speech, a BOE official noted how it would open access to central banks beyond commercial banks. "Everyone – including individuals – would be able to hold such balances," he said.

An executive from Regions Financial said recently that his bank plans to pad fee income by expanding into syndication of low-income housing credits. The comment shed light on an increasingly competitive business — and reminded the world again how eager banks are for even incremental boosts to revenue.

The federal agency expressed skepticism about industry-developed standards Thursday, suggesting that there is currently no way to enforce the rules or punish bad actors.

Regulators need to start paying attention to "denial-of-system" attacks as one of the triggers that could bring down a systemically important institution.

With its very survival at stake, the San Francisco-based marketplace lender is balancing key priorities that are sometimes in conflict with each other.

Highlands Bancorp in Vernon, N.J., has raised $7.5 million to exit the Small Business Lending Fund.

Fearing that housing finance reform has fallen off the congressional priority list, bank and housing trade groups sent a letter to Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt on Wednesday to draw attention to the issue.

Throw Cathy Bessant of Bank of America a question about a hot tech topic, and she's got answers. Blockchain? She loves it but is still waiting for its use case. Patents? The law is making us be aggressive. Swift? A call to action. And that's just the start.

With Democrats already opposing a bill by Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, to roll back Dodd-Frank, his chances of long-term success depend on support by Donald Trump. The two met to discuss the plan on Tuesday.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling R-Texas, is set Tuesday to unveil an ambitious plan to revamp the Dodd-Frank Act and replace it with a capital-based alternative during a speech in New York.

Embracing technology that gives innovators access to their platforms will provide banks with the upgrade they sorely need.

In a pair of proposals approved by the Federal Reserve Board Friday afternoon, the Federal Reserve signaled to the insurance industry that it knows the difference between them and banks. But the devil may still be lurking in the details.

New Resource Bank has opened its first branch outside its home base of San Francisco with an eye toward furthering its green-lending mission.

MFA Financial has carved out an impressive niche for itself by buying re-performing and nonperforming residential mortgages and securities.

The regional bank has extensively studied the viability of such platforms, but has been unable to develop a plan to fits its risk appetite.

In an initial regulatory move released by the Federal Reserve Friday, the central bank was emphatic about distinguishing between the capital and liquidity risks posed by insurance activities versus the riskier ones that firms may be engaged in.

Well-established tech giants like Amazon and Google pose a more formidable threat to banks than the thousands of startups populating the fintech market.