Exams

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Wednesday issued an advisory for banks and credit unions on how to prevent and respond to elder abuse.

Lawmakers sharply criticized the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on Wednesday over a watchdog report that said the agency used abusive tactics to stop banks from offering refund anticipation loans.

The chairmen of the House and Senate banking committees appear to agree that banks that hold higher capital should get a significant break on other regulatory requirements. But the odds of enacting a bill this year remain long.

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling signaled an aggressive assault on the Dodd-Frank Act on Tuesday, outlining a bill that would allow banks to be released from some of the 2010 reform law's regulations and Basel III requirements if they hold sufficient capital.

Three-fourths of House lawmakers signed a bipartisan letter that calls on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to take more steps to carve out community banks and credit unions from onerous regulations. But will it make a difference?

To hear some former examiners tell it, companies that are hostile during the exam process may get dinged more often than those that show respect and professionalism. Following are tips to ensure bankers do better on their next exam.

Citizens Financial Group in Providence, R.I., plans to repurchase $125 million in subordinated notes to improve its efficiency and capital structure.

With the stakes so high for compliance officers, their rights and responsibilities should be clearly defined, including a safe harbor for those who play by the rules.

Overhauling the S&L crisis-era method for intervening in struggling banks, which did not live up to expectations during the 2008 meltdown, should be a higher priority.

Regulators and alarmists are targeting a key source of financing on which some of the best-known American companies rely.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. handed community bankers a critical win on Thursday by rescinding a plan to treat reciprocal deposits as brokered deposits in the calculation of small-institution assessments.

Sen. Richard Shelby's bill changing how regulators gauge if a bank is "systemic" would refocus post-crisis policy on institutions that pose the greatest threat.

Officials who assess how well banks lend and invest in their communities seem out of sync with the experiences of Main Street.

For steering the Winston-Salem, N.C., company through an extended period of industry adversity, while providing a blueprint for large-scale M&A, King has been named American Banker's Banker of the Year for 2015.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's Calvin Hagins warned mortgage lenders about the regulatory agency's four exam priorities for next year: loan-officer compensation, steps taken to ensure borrowers' ability to repay, compliance with "Know Before You Owe" consumer disclosures, and marketing services agreements.

Unlike the high-profile hacking incidents at big banks, smaller institutions have their own breed of threats such as cyberextortion that they must focus on in strengthening their security.

The New York Department of Financial Services' letter indicating potential cyber rules are prompting concerns that the state's plans could lead to more stringent measures throughout the industry.

While cybersecurity has already been part of bank exams for years, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is highlighting it as a separate comment in order to ensure the issue is getting appropriate attention from bank executives and boards.

Banks undergoing annual Federal Reserve assessments should feel emboldened to challenge "matters requiring attention," and the Fed should hear them out.

The government's spotlight on servicing problems means companies should be taking steps now in the face of regulators' current enforcement authority and the potential of coming rules.