The SEC and other regulatory agencies have raised the environmental, social and governance ante. Financial institutions will need to find a way to chip in before the stakes are raised even higher.  

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce set a goal of reducing the carbon-emissions intensity of its lending to power generators, adding to targets it has already placed on the oil and gas industry.

JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon said that the U.S. needs to invest in the fossil fuel industry to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions in the long term and protect economic growth.

The Rhode Island bank's agreement to purchase power from Ørsted will support the development of a new wind farm in Kansas. Citizens will receive renewable energy credits.

Adrienne Harris, superintendent of the New York State Department of Financial Services, previewed the agency's upcoming climate guidance in an interview with American Banker. Banks "cannot sacrifice" their fair lending and equity obligations "in order to mitigate climate risk," she said.

In the coming midterm elections, bankers ought to pay attention to candidates for state treasurer, controller and other historically low-profile offices.

The democratization of corporate governance, ESG initiatives and other insights from Broadridge CEO Tim Gokey.

At an industry conference, a Federal Reserve official spoke about standardizing climate risk disclosures, while a representative from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency examined the red-state backlash against banks that disfavor fossil fuels.

JPMorgan Chase has teamed up with the software firm Datamaran to develop a data-analysis tool for clients to gauge not just the environmental, social and governance risks facing portfolio companies, but also the ESG risks that such assets pose to the world around them.

Lawmakers in the nation's most populous state failed to pass a measure, opposed by industry groups, that would have required larger companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions. Publicly traded companies may soon face similar requirements at the federal level.