Law and regulation

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin's plan to remove Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from government control could mean increased competition for lenders' loans. But it could also prompt a rise in mortgage rates.

Even before taking office, Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin has said he wants to return Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the private sector, a radically different vision of housing finance reform than that pushed by other Republicans.

Some regulators have begun to acknowledge that it's time to rethink the regulatory system put in place in the wake of the financial crisis, while others are raising warnings about weakening safeguards.

President-elect Donald Trump recognizes that full repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act is unlikely, though he supports a House effort to make significant changes, according to a former banker who was on the shortlist to be Treasury secretary.

Consumers' providing bank credentials to third-party services is akin to handing over their house keys. To mitigate screen-scraping risks, banks and fintech companies must first address issues related to security, transparency and control.

Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin wasted no time Wednesday joining one of the thorniest debates in the financial services arena, saying the Trump administration would seek to end government control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Post-crisis regulations were not only costly but may have undermined executive accountability by turning CEOs into compliance managers instead of drivers of business decisions.

Much like President-elect Donald Trump himself, Treasury Secretary-designate Steven Mnuchin represents something of a question mark for bankers when it comes to his agenda.

President-elect Donald Trump's imminent choice for Commerce secretary is a billionaire investor who swooped in to prop up troubled banks after the financial meltdown. Some members of the banking world, including regulators, may be glad he was picked for Commerce chief instead of Treasury secretary.

Former BB&T Chief Executive Officer John Allison, a top candidate for the next Treasury secretary, reiterated Tuesday that policymakers should consider eliminating or reducing the deposit insurance level.