Law and regulation

At a hearing Tuesday, GOP lawmakers hammered FHFA Director Mel Watt for four hours over his recent decisions to allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to buy loans with lower downpayments and provide money to two affordable housing trust funds.

Homeowners associations seeking unpaid dues are seizing on a court decision allowing them to foreclose on properties ahead of banks, and the FHFA is litigating to defend Fannie and Freddie mortgages. Private lenders, meanwhile, are trying to keep the problem from spreading to more states.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a bulletin Tuesday warning financial institutions about entering into agreements with third parties that share or hide information related to regulatory exams.

A spate of recent account closings at churches and charities suggests that Operation Choke Point and other de-risking directives are causing collateral damage to faith-based organizations.

The Federal Reserve System threw its weight behind a host of standards, goals and timelines yesterday that are likely to shape the quest to build a faster U.S. payment system.

In a new detailed report, the Federal Reserve laid out four options for upgrading the creaky U.S. payment system. The study raised questions about how far the Fed can, and should, go to bring about change.

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency has named Michael Brickman as deputy comptroller for special supervision.

The Supreme Court gave borrowers the path to file a rescission notice without going to court, but experts expect more banks to initiate legal proceedings to stop rescissions they see as frivolous.

The Fed appears to have looked at Bitcoin as a means for real-time payments in the banking system but shelved the concept for now.

The Federal Reserve System released a detailed vision Monday for improving the speed of the U.S. payment system.

The Federal Reserve System released a detailed vision for improving the speed of the U.S. payment system. It is latest step in a process meant to spur change at a time when the country has fallen far behind many nations that have adopted real-time payments.

Federal Reserve officials have been calling on banks to strengthen their ethical cultures. The message will carry more weight if regulators are willing to turn the spotlight on their own practices.

Janell Thompson and Katarina Maloney say choosing the "wrong" name for their company was all it took to run afoul of banks and be labeled as co-owners of a high-risk business.

A plan to tax the liabilities of systemically important banks could help curb risk to the financial system, but the president and Congress should first consider more realistic asset thresholds.

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation closed the $54.7 million-asset Highland Community Bank in Chicago on Friday.

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Early signs point to a wave of Federal Housing Administration borrowers trying to tap into lower prices for mortgage backing.

The Justice Department has subpoenaed another subprime auto lender as it extends its investigation into the industry.

Seaway Bank and Trust in Chicago has entered into a consent order with state and federal regulators.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Friday announced four appointments to the agency’s leadership team