Law and regulation

Nonbank mortgage servicers are already in the crosshairs of regulators. Now they will face even more scrutiny from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Swift's initial move into faster domestic payments in Australia sets the groundwork for expansion into other markets, including the U.S.

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators on Tuesday released the latest guidebook for examiners to use in assessing banks' anti-money-laundering programs.

A new study suggests that most consumers only waive their right to sue companies in court and participate in class actions because they don't understand the contracts they're signing.

The House approved a bill late Monday that would set up a framework for large failing banks to go through the bankruptcy process.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren recently told New York Federal Reserve President William Dudley to man up on bank enforcement, warning him that if he won't, "we need to get someone who will."

Mandatory retirement ages and term limits can backfire by forcing out board members with badly needed skills. It's better for boards to take the necessary, though socially uncomfortable, step of convincing underperforming directors to leave.

Bitcoin wallet providers have had a touchy relationship with prepaid cards. But whether or not these companies care about plastic, they should care about how the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's prepaid proposal affects them.

The Independent Community Bankers of America is urging the House to include in its terrorism risk insurance bill an unrelated amendment requiring community-banking expertise on the Federal Reserve Board.

Republican lawmakers will head the banking committees in both chambers next year – raising the prospects for deals on key legislation – but getting to the negotiating table is still the biggest hurdle for the next Congress.

The Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are alleging that Toyota Motor Credit engaged in practices that resulted in discriminatory pricing of loans, according to a securities filing by the company.

The Federal Reserve was comfortable as a behind-the-scenes regulator, but it’s now expected to be a public enforcer as well. Asking the agency to balance these contradictory roles is a recipe for trouble.

Sheila Bair, a former chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., has agreed to serve as a senior adviser to the law firm DLA Piper, focusing on its international practice, according to a memo obtained by American Banker.

Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker discusses why he distrusts a government-run system for unwinding banks, how community banks could thrive in the future, and why policymakers should consider better distinguishing between the biggest institutions and mid-size firms.

A final judgment against Bank of America in a mortgage-bond lawsuit by the Securities and Exchange Commission was signed by a federal judge, helping clear the way for the lender to complete a $16.7 billion global settlement of claims it misled investors about risk.

Recent speeches by Benjamin Lawsky and other regulators suggest that government officials are gearing up to issue new cybersecurity rules. Banks' relationships with third-party vendors are one likely area of focus.

The CFPB's proposed requirements threaten to trap next-generation digital wallets and cryptocurrency innovations in a consumer protection regime narrowly tailored to the unique characteristics of reloadable prepaid cards.

Although regulators say the bank's resolution plan still has "specific shortcomings," Wells Fargo appears closer than other banks in fulfilling the Dodd-Frank requirement.

Two community banks recently were permitted to transfer cash to their holding companies. It could be a sign that regulators are changing their attitudes toward such payments now that banks have healthier capital levels.

Since the crisis, banks have relied on lower loan-loss provisions to make a profit. But banks actually made money in the third quarter. Here's how.