Law and regulation

Navy Federal Credit Union in Vienna, Va., has established a commercial loan participation program in which it will buy business loans from other credit unions that are nearing their cap on business lending.

The U.K.'s Financial Services Authority has "a number of investigations concerning Libor" beyond the case that resulted in a record fine levied against Barclays Plc last week, the agency's acting head of enforcement said.

You've probably heard of the Office of Financial Research's database for tracking financial companies like barcodes. It's also tasked with building another system that's equally critical – and a much greater technical challenge.

In Washington last week, all eyes were on the Supreme Court's healthcare ruling. But there were other important issues happening in the national Capitol, including the pending release of living wills, a different ruling from the high court, and a surprising new report on the Federal Home Loan Banks.

QCR Holdings (QCRH) in Moline, Ill., has repaid about a fourth of its money it received from the Treasury Department's Small Business Lending Fund Program as part of its effort to increase its tangible common equity.

Payday and advance deposit loans have been getting a lot of regulatory attention recently.

WASHINGTON — As the federal government begins to take a closer look at the regulation of mobile payments, the first signs of a split within the payments industry are emerging.

In a slow stretch for issuance of bank shares, companies looking to raise capital for acquisitions have come to the fore in offerings that have performed relatively well.

The effective tax rate for banks has dropped to a range of roughly 30% to 32%, down from a range of roughly 32% to 33% in the years leading up to the recession. Recoveries of deferred tax assets might be the reason.

Bankers are reluctant to embrace cloud computing based on a variety of security and regulatory fears, concerns that aren't matched by reality.

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Upheaval in funding markets has radically reshaped the liability profile of foreign bank operations in the United States, but they have continued to increase lending despite an exodus of deposits that began in the middle of last year.

As Washington starts to look at the rapidly emerging sphere, some in the industry are calling for regulators to level the playing field, while others are warning that regulation may stifle innovation.

It's been more than a month since James Freis, the director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, was abruptly dismissed from that position.

The Financial Services Forum announced Friday that it has named Laena Fallon as its vice president for communications, effective in August.

The government plans to collect $137 million from some of the nation's biggest banks and financial firms to help cover the cost of a new research office officials hope can help prevent future financial calamities.

Regulators revealed on Friday this year's list of communities where banks can receive credit under the Community Reinvestment Act for working in those areas.

Regulators have entered into a consent order with First Bank of Miami that requires the Coral Gables, Fla., company to maintain certain capital levels and ensure compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act.

American Express plans to begin issuing secure chip cards in the U.S. this year, and it has released a timeline for merchants to follow in accepting those cards. Like every other network's roadmap, Amex sticks closely to the plan Visa announced last August.

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