Investments

As with most things related to 2020, COVID-19 will be a deciding factor as the Federal Reserve considers whether banks are able to increase their dividends or resume share buybacks.

Fannie hasn't completed any credit risk transfers to private investors since the second quarter. Some experts worry the decision — likely spurred by the company’s concerns about a recent capital regulation — could put the mortgage giant on unsteady footing.

Board member Todd Harper was concerned that the credit union regulator was not adequately preparing for the impact of prolonged economic turmoil and could be caught "flat-footed" as it was heading into the last crisis.

As it does with savings, Digit's algorithm calculates how much users can siphon off their earnings into retirement without missing the funds.

Marqeta, a payments startup backed by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Visa Inc., hired underwriters for a planned 2021 initial public offering, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Some large banks have come under fire from the GOP for curbing services to firms in controversial industries, such as firearms and fossil fuels. A proposal by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency aims to block banks from taking such stances.

The Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials recently released a methodology for measuring the environmental impact of loans and investments, a key hurdle to the banking industry's long-term goal of net-zero emissions tied to its portfolios.

Democrats called the decision by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin "misguided," arguing that it's too soon to shutter the Federal Reserve's emergency-lending programs. Republicans say the programs have run their course and should expire a the end of the year.

Companies like Affirm and Klarna have been a beacon for investors, leading to at least one multibillion-dollar planned IPO in support of a point-of-purchase lending model that could set the stage for use cases well beyond credit.

Global regulators are preparing to tighten restrictions on companies believed to have threatened the financial system at the height of pandemic-fueled volatility.