Law and regulation

Industry groups want lawmakers to extend Dodd-Frank's unlimited insurance for transaction deposits, which is now mandatory for all banks. But TAG used to be voluntary, and some say it should be again.

"Federal Reserve Board Gov. Sarah Bloom Raskin urged regulators to narrow a proposed exemption to the Volcker Rule, saying it may allow banks to avoid compliance with the ban on proprietary trading," writes American Banker's Donna Boraks.

Many large merchants expressed outrage at the apparent laxity of the Federal Reserve Board's finalized rule that will allow non-exempt debit card issuers to collect a 1-cent fraud-prevention adjustment on debit card transactions.

This is no time to start unwinding the largest banks. There's enough uncertainty in this fragile economy. But starting a conversation now about the costs and benefits will lay the groundwork for sound action when conditions improve.

Legislation proposed by Democratic Sen. Tom Carper and Republican Sen. Roy Blunt could relieve some of the burden that financial institutions currently bear.

Edward DeMarco, the acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, on Tuesday defied both the Obama administration and widespread expectations that he would cave to a torrent of political pressure and allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to offer principal reductions to troubled borrowers.

Visa Europe was sent an antitrust complaint from EU regulators over the fees it charges to process cross-border credit-card payments.

A year after the Fed enacted the Durbin amendment, predictions that swipe fee reform would kill free checking, hurt credit unions and stifle competition have failed to come true.

The modern, neo-Glass-Steagall advocacy has a mystical quality about it, an appeal that proposes to rise above the tough debate over the thorny details and reach back to a mythical time when bank regulation worked so very well.

Dodd-Frank "however good its intentions, has not and will not protect us against another meltdown," writes former senator Ted Kaufman. He's concerned about the growing size of big banks and what he views as fatal flaws in living wills. Want to really protect against another meltdown? Add that Kaufman-Brown amendment to the legistlation.

The FDIC's original blanket coverage for transaction accounts allowed institutions to opt out or pay extra fees to participate. But industry groups say extending Dodd-Frank's version of the coverage, which eliminated fees and made participation compulsory, is the only way to go.

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve Board approved a final rule on debit card interchange fees to make an adjustment for fraud-prevention costs.

The Federal Reserve Board approved a final rule on debit card interchange fees to make an adjustment for fraud-prevention costs.

The South Carolina Republican is trying to force a vote on whether to repeal Dodd-Frank by holding up two measures that are priorities for the banking industry.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released its semiannual report on Monday, highlighting details on what consumers are most concerned about in submissions to a new CFPB complaint database.

A majority of BankThink posts dedicated to risk assessment focus on tools, systems, agencies or legislation. Rarely do we talk about the people hired to implement them. Do you believe in risk managers?

Concerns about moral hazard should not prevent Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from helping underwater homeowners avoid foreclosure.

"I'm suddenly liking being a regional bank," said KeyCorp CEO Beth Mooney. Dodd-Frank "has created a different playing field," one in which she believes regionals may fare better than larger or smaller banks.

A U.S. district court has halted a nationwide scam operating from the Dominican Republic – but pretending to be in Chicago – that allegedly peddled fake mortgage assistance relief to Spanish-speaking homeowners in the U.S.

In a society where blatant expressions of discrimination are largely considered to be unacceptable, discrimination often takes on subtler and more insidious forms.