Law and regulation

Wells Fargo has agreed to pay $4 million to settle charges that it made secured credit card loans in violation of New York law.

The new Financial Stability Oversight Council guidelines promise better public transparency and greater engagement with firms under review.

The New York Department of Financial Services has published revisions to the agency's proposed framework for regulating virtual currencies.

Banks stayed away from construction lending for years after it collapsed and contributed to the financial crisis. But low interest rates and other factors have gotten some developments off the ground, leading to construction lending's comeback.

The Massachusetts senator wants to induce more competition and diversity in the banking industry and improve the economic prospects of a majority of Americans. Both changes would benefit the financial services sector as a whole.

The expiration of the federal Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act leaves servicers dealing with a patchwork of state laws and investor rules, while renters living in REO properties are at a greater risk of eviction.

An SEC fine of a Pennsylvania bank over an accounting matter from more than five years ago raises questions about how long community banks should be on guard about challenges to their conduct during the financial crisis.

The New Jersey Assembly is weighing whether to pursue legislation that would make the state a haven for digital currency businesses.

In an interview, FHFA Director Mel Watt said there needs to be greater clarity to ensure some entities aren't taking improper advantage of Federal Home Loan Bank membership.

A subprime credit card company in Delaware agreed to pay nearly $3 million in refunds and penalties for allegedly charging fees that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says violated federal law.

Regulators are confused about whether to use capital buffers as a tool to stamp out "too big to fail" banks or as a cushion to protect the financial system from the next crisis. But the Dodd-Frank Act gives them a clear mandate: to eliminate market expectations of a government bailout.

Stephen Platt, regulatory investigations consultant and author of "Criminal Capital: How the Finance Industry Facilitates Crime," explains his misgivings about the idea of a shared know-your-customer registry for the industry.

WASHINGTON — The Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday examining regulatory relief for small banks and credit unions, kicking off what is expected to be a central debate this term over changes to the Dodd-Frank Act.

The CFPB has a historic opportunity to fix the small-dollar loan market by emulating Colorado's reforms. That would mean requiring all payday lenders to offer affordable installment payments and cracking down on deceptive practices like loan flipping.

The Federal Housing Administration's new foreclosure relief options for nonborrowing spouses of reverse mortgage customers will increase loan servicers' costs, and some question how many consumers they will actually help.

While lawmakers are calling for a bill to raise Dodd-Frank's unpopular $50 billion threshold for banks to be considered "systemically important," regulators actually have the power to do it without legislation.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking to permanently ban a credit provider in Texas from offering any services because of allegations that it ran a "sham credit card" business.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is seeking to permanently ban a credit provider in Texas from offering any services because of allegations that it ran a "sham credit card" business.

Efforts by investors in the government-sponsored enterprises to find a more friendly court to challenge the government's management of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac fell flat in Iowa.

WASHINGTON — The acquirer of a for-profit college chain sued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau will forgive over $480 million in student debt under a deal announced Tuesday.