Law and regulation

Continued monetary easing by the Fed would further squeeze margins, encourage undue risk-taking, and spark prepayments in bond portfolios without juicing loan demand, community bankers warn.

The Santa Rosa, Calif., thrift is the latest lender to be targeted by the Justice Department for allegedly discriminating against minorities.

If housing continues to show signs of stabilization, it is possible that the FHA's mortgage insurance fund will not require a bailout. The agency's been smart lately, but also lucky.

Former FDIC chairman William Isaac and former Wells Fargo CEO Richard Kovacevich argue that had Dodd-Frank been in place before the mortgage crisis, the legislation would not have prevented it. What was really at lacking, they said in a CNBC interview, was regulatory leadership.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, a candidate to assume control of the House Financial Services Committee next year, sharply criticized the Dodd-Frank Act, saying it had severely damaged financial institutions.

A bill that could move quickly in the Senate would subject independent agencies like the FDIC and CFPB to more scrutiny from the president's staff.

The courts' indecision as to whether whistle-blowers who report wrongdoing internally are protected by Dodd-Frank sends one clear message: Come forward at your own risk.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. warned banks under its watch Wednesday about the risks of acquiring participations in loans while relying too heavily on originating institutions for the underwriting.

The FDIC highlighted continued use of "alternative financial services" in its second-ever survey reporting the share of households that are unbanked or underbanked.

Regulators have a legitimate interest in overseeing activities that threaten a bank. But they should lay off bank affiliates and activities that pose no such threats.

Zions Bancorp. (ZION) is hopeful that it will exit the Troubled Asset Relief Program in late September or early in the fourth quarter.

"No financial institution's collapse could sink our economy"? Funny. "To accord nonbanks parity with banks, just regulate nonbanks more strictly"? Hilarious. But here's a real howler: "We have to go on subsidizing home building and financing."

Banks as a whole continue to invest heavily in bonds issued by Fannie and Freddie, but strategic orientations vary widely across individual companies. Use this interactive graphic to see portfolio composition for big holding companies.

A federal judge approved a class action of thousands who were sued for debts and then had default judgments entered against them. The collection industry has closely watched the case for nearly two years.

The mother of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau spent much of her recent prime-time performance accusing banks of dishonesty. Perhaps she should take a gander in the mirror.

Leaders of small banks do not want the Fed to purchase more bonds or keep interest rates low. Instead, they want the Fed stand down and let the economy heal on its own.

The Office of Financial Research, created by the Dodd-Frank Act, has neither yet become the all-powerful entity its opponents feared, nor "the muscular, autonomous U.S. hub for financial regulatory data collection, standardization and storage that its backers hoped for.”

To develop a successful mobile wallet, many agree industry collaboration is necessary. But how much collaboration is too much?

The acting director of the FHFA said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need to increase the fees they charge to guarantee mortgages in states where it's costlier for them to deal with bad debt.

The National Retail Federation said it will try to block a settlement of as much as $7.25 billion with Visa and MasterCard over the fees they charge shops when customers pay with credit cards.