Law and regulation

A bankruptcy judge Tuesday rejected Washington Mutual Inc.'s Chapter 11 plan for a second time, finding the company was too generous with senior creditors.

John Koelmel, head of fast-growing First Niagara, found himself literally and figuratively in the middle of the jobs debate.

An interview last week with Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City President Tom Hoenig yielded more than we could fit into our story on his plan to tighten up the federal safety net. Here's what else was on the regulator's mind.

After 38 years with the Fed, Tom Hoenig is convinced less complexity is the key to taming systemic risk.

Sixty-one small banks will receive a total of $608 million in the latest round of funding from the Small Business Lending Fund, the Treasury Department said Wednesday.

Simone Lagomarsino reflects on the divisive debate on whether credit unions should be allowed to raise capital. Backers view such a move as a necessity for struggling credit unions, while detractors worry that it could cost the industry its tax-exempt status.

Despite an increase in the number of cyber attacks, losses to financial institutions and their customers have fallen over the last 18 months.

Here is a common scenario. A bank executive develops a new product, maybe a fee-generation concept. Properly following procedure, he consults the compliance officer, who performs a check-the-box review and signs off — but raises a "fairness" concern because the product is controversial with regulators and consumer groups.

Consumer advocate and former White House advisor Elizabeth Warren will announce Wednesday that she is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Scott Brown, R-Mass., the Huffington Post reported Tuesday, citing a source.

American Banker Washington Bureau Chief Rob Blackwell discusses the status of the landmark banking legislation.

The New Jersey Supreme Court lifted a foreclosure ban on Ally Financial Inc. on Monday, removing the last state barrier that had prohibited mortgage servicers from resuming foreclosures one year after their widespread "robo-signing" procedures came to light. The court allowed five other large banks to resume foreclosing on delinquent homeowners last month.

The Federal Reserve on Tuesday announced a written agreement with Pinnacle Bank Holding Co. in Orange City, Fla.

Senate Banking Committee hosts academics for reprise of familiar debate over role of government.

The chief executive at Texas Capital Bancshares Inc. says that regional banks like his are losing potential commercial loan business to deposit-rich larger banks that are undercutting them on rates and offering more favorable terms.

The FDIC and Fed provided more flexibility in their final rule than initially expected. Firms will now have more time to submit plans on how they would be resolved and more information will be kept confidential.

Morgan Stanley has hired former Federal Reserve economist Vincent Reinhart as chief U.S. economist, according to an internal memo obtained Tuesday by Dow Jones Newswires.

In her final appearance before the Senate Banking Committee, former FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair confirmed that the Dodd-Frank Act would prevent bailouts along the lines we saw during the last financial crisis. This is the conventional view but, as the markets react to rumors of deteriorating economic conditions leading to the need for bailouts of Eurozone banks, and perhaps a contagion affecting U.S. banks, that confidence may be ill-placed.

The Securities and Exchange Commission told lawmakers Monday that it will need additional funding and that it will take several years to fully implement more than a dozen recommendations of ways that the agency could become a more efficient securities regulator.

WASHINGTON — In response to concerns raised about the importance of geographic diversity on the Federal Open Markets Committee, Rep. Barney Frank plans to amend a bill that would remove regional Fed presidents as voting members of the committee.

Large banks see capital and premium implications from large deposits that seek full FDIC insurance.