Law and regulation

Wells Fargo’s origination business has been operating at full steam, keeping the company’s mortgage servicing assets well above a cap proposed under Basel III. A new servicer compensation system could resolve the issue, but something has to give.

The Senate passed legislation Thursday aimed at cracking down on insider trading by members of Congress and other federal employees.

Lawmakers at House hearing voice excitement about evolving industry, but also express concern about security and regulatory gaps.

Participants at the Consumer Bankers Association meeting in Austin ranked important financiers and regulators using the model of the NCAA basketball tourney.

Steve Bartlett, who has run the Financial Services Roundtable trade group for 13 years, will retire at the end of the year.

Insurer American International Group (AIG) repaid the Treasury Department $1.5 billion, closing out its preferred equity investment, Treasury said Thursday.

Discover Financial Services' Pulse debit network posted solid gains in the first quarter, but executives say a new rule banning network exclusivity could prove a hurdle going forward.

The distance between the U.S. — at the head of the pack — and the rest of the world in crafting financial reforms is becoming a major hurdle for implementing the Dodd-Frank Act.

The Treasury Department has hired Melissa Koide, vice president of policy for the non-profit Center for Financial Services Innovation, which focuses on providing expanding the availability of financial services.

The Senate by a clear margin passed legislation Thursday making it easier for small banks to attract investors without having to register with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Thursday unveiled an interactive database with answers to consumers' frequently asked questions about financial products.

Unsuccessful in its bid to raise capital and recently ordered by regulators to bolster its loan-loss allowance, Fidelity Bank in Dearborn, Mich., is now critically undercapitalized and has told investors that is in danger of failing.

The $25 billion mortgage settlement and other government aid programs for troubled homeowners, including Harp 2.0, are forcing cost-cutting banks into a tricky balancing act.

FHFA's watchdog said during housing bubble Fannie Mae frequently made "variances" to its own lending standards, which hurt the quality of its portfolio.

WASHINGTON–Both Democrats and Republicans who opposed the Federal Reserve Board’s cap on debit card interchange fees pledged March 21 to stand with community banks and credit unions that are trying to avoid the price limits.

Despite Republican criticism over the recess appointment of Richard Cordray to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a key GOP senator this week said the controversial hiring has not affected his position on other regulatory nominees.

CFPB chief says while agency was charged with writing regulations for everyone, situations exist when an institution's size should be taken into account.

In the depths of the financial crisis, the FDIC under Chairman Sheila Bair extended 100% insurance coverage to non-deposit transactions balances of all banks. Known as the Transaction Account Guarantee program, this extraordinary extension of FDIC insurance coverage to all transaction balances was a good idea at the time, but should be allowed to expire at the end of the year.

The Obama administration wants the agency to give more consideration of tool meant to help troubled borrowers keep their homes.

The state of Hawaii is considering using federal stimulus money to create a "clean economy bank" that would make low-interest rate loans to clean energy companies.