Law and regulation

Regulators have terminated a consent order with Magyar Bancorp Inc.'s banking unit after the New Brunswick, N.J., company reduced its nonperforming assets and increased its capital levels.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. has filed a lawsuit against former officers and directors of Broadway Bank in connection with the bank's collapse two years ago.

WASHINGTON — The Treasury Department said Wednesday it is selling $6 billion of its common stock in American International Group, half of which AIG intends to buy itself at the initial public offering price.

First California Financial Group Inc. in Westlake Village, Calif., has partnered with another company to provide tax refunds on prepaid cards.

As the election year revs up, political heat on the FHFA head is increasing.

House Democrats sent a letter to Financial Services Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus on Wednesday, formally requesting a hearing on a bill that would eliminate the Federal Reserve Board's statutory responsibility to focus on employment.

Judicial Watch has sued the Federal Housing Finance Agency, claiming that the agency wrongfully denied a request for documents related to a lawsuit over alleged misrepresentations of mortgage-backed securities.

Esther George, the new president of the Kansas City Fed, discusses her fears on overburdening small banks, whether too big to fail is over, and her approach to regulation.

The Federal Trade Commission expanded its case against an allegedly deceptive payday lender, charging that it sought to unfairly and deceptively manipulate the legal system and force consumers to travel to South Dakota to appear before a tribal court that did not have jurisdiction over their cases.

Sen. Grassley criticized the Department of Justice for its record-breaking fair lending settlement with Countrywide, saying it will not have a large enough impact on affected borrowers.

Actions by the CFPB and Fannie Mae could upend big banks' controversial practices of taking out insurance policies on borrowers' homes.

Savannah Bancorp Inc. in Georgia said that one of its bank has entered into a consent order with regulators and now must work to maintain capital levels and reduce problem assets.

WASHINGTON–The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has hit its stride on consumer complaints.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency acting director, Edward DeMarco, recently sent to Congress a strategic plan for the next phase of conservatorships of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. A new structure for housing finance requires congressional action, yet neither Congress nor the administration has come up with an acceptable plan in the three years since Fannie and Freddie were placed into conservatorship. It's far from clear that the DeMarco plan will get the job done.

Legislation that would let banks appeal examination findings to an outside arbiter has now been introduced in both houses of Congress.

An ongoing drama is unfolding: a David versus Goliath tale of sorts that pits a Riverside, Calif., family fighting to stay in their home against the weight of that elephant, otherwise known as "Freddie."

A Senate bill that would require states to collect information on the ultimate beneficiaries of corporations could reduce banks' burden in the fight against money laundering.

Big banks need passing grades on stress tests and healthy stocks before they start buying, Frank Cicero says.

The number of foreclosure sales spiked in January, as banks and government agencies started to clear the backlog of properties that have been in the foreclosure process for several years, according to data released Tuesday.

Patrick Gideon resigned as chairman of Reliance Bancshares Inc. in Missouri after objecting the company's decision to hire an outside consultant.