Investments

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., warned the regional Federal Reserve bank that its papers about environmental, social and corporate governance policies hurt its ability to stay neutral on partisan issues.

For banks that pass this year’s stress tests, the Federal Reserve said it will eliminate the restrictions on dividends and share buybacks while subjecting those institutions instead to the stress capital buffer.

The Rainforest Action Network says the 2020 decline stemmed more from weak energy demand during the pandemic than banks’ pledge to reduce financing to firms that contribute to climate change.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she prefers to have the Financial Stability Oversight Council flag hazardous activities by nonbanks rather than subject specific firms to heightened supervision.

Executive vice presidents and above will be evaluated on how they contributed to progress on efforts to curb the firm’s use of carbon, improve financial inclusion and reach gender-pay parity, CEO Michael Miebach said in a memo to staff.

Free investment education and testing for risk tolerance are among the ways financial firms can better reach underserved consumers, former SEC chief Jay Clayton and Operation HOPE’s John Hope Bryant say.

The Treasury Department and U.S. regulators aim to boost demand for assets that tackle climate change, while preventing companies from making claims that could be considered “greenwashing,” or overstating the significance of emissions reductions and sustainability efforts.

The decision is seen as a setback for the banking industry, which had been pushing for an extension, and a win for Democrats, who have argued that a pandemic is no time for banks to be shedding capital.

Democrats want regulators to actively protect the financial system from losses tied to extreme weather events, while Republicans say climate policy is "beyond the scope" of their mission.

Big banks led the push to offer multibillion-dollar bonds that fund affordable housing, education and nonprofits that serve needy communities. But Truist's recent $1.25 billion bond is a sign that regionals want to attract progressive institutional investors — and burnish their images.