Law and regulation

The debate over Rep. Jeb Hensarling's bill to overhaul the Dodd-Frank Act is increasingly focusing on widely different philosophies about capital regulation.

WASHINGTON — The head of the American Bankers Association on Tuesday defended financial institutions' partnerships with fintech firms but argued that banks top nonbank startups in serving as "trusted custodians" for their customers' funds.

As policymakers try to calibrate the appropriate level of regulatory oversight still six years after Dodd-Frank, financial institutions large and small must stay engaged in key policy debates.

The combination of smarter consumers and likely CFPB action have, oddly enough, pushed banks, especially large ones, to raise overdraft fees in recent months.

Offering a new product or considering a merger may boost returns, but the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency says changes in strategy can be risky.

While diversity at the federal agencies overall is roughly consistent with the rest of the country, diversity declines sharply among those in senior leadership roles.

Expect banks to pull back on energy lending in the near term, as regulators step up their scrutiny of oil loans and bankers approach the business with a "different attitude," says Mariner Kemper, chairman and chief executive at UMB Financial in Kansas City, Mo.

Its watchdog said the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. failed to implement measures that could have prevented at least eight cybersecurity breaches from departing employees over the last year.

WASHINGTON — The House approved a spending bill Thursday that would change the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and take away the Financial Stability Oversight Council's power to designate nonbanks as systemically important.

Big banks were seen as winners in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, but their support for the pact is in question as a result of their treatment in a data-related provision.

U.S. regulators plan to require banks to adopt baseline safeguards to shield themselves from cyberthreats after a series of assaults cost the industry billions of dollars and shook consumer confidence.

American Banker readers share their views on the most pressing banking topics of the week. Comments are excerpted from reader response sections of AmericanBanker.com articles and our social media platforms.

Gov. Pat McCrory on Wednesday signed the North Carolina Money Transmitters Act, as requested by the state banking commissioner's office.

Freddie Mac is on track to issue mortgage-backed securities via a common securities platform by the end of this year, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., a member of the Banking Committee, has reportedly withdrawn as a potential running mate for GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The number of customers who obtained 10 payday loans in 2015 outnumbered those who obtained just one, the California Department of Business Oversight said in a report Wednesday.

Republican lawmakers have asked the Treasury Department's inspector general to investigate whether the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's policies are encouraging banks to cut ties with entire lines of business or banks in other countries.

Installment lenders are concerned that efforts by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to curb the most abusive and predatory practices associated with payday loans will wreak havoc on their business.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Daniel Tarullo acknowledged that capital requirements for smaller banks are too complicated, suggesting they could be retooled to be like earlier Basel Committee standards.

Under Rep. Jeb Hensarling’s proposed legislation, some banks might raise capital levels to get regulatory relief. Others might choose to grin and bear the current level of micromanagement. The result would be a more diverse banking sector.