Law and regulation

Board members at smaller banks tend to dismiss the importance of the annual self-assessment process. But as board governance attracts growing regulatory scrutiny, directors should embrace the chance to identify areas for improvement.

Housing policy needs to be refocused on strengthening household balance sheets, especially by making borrowersmore resilient to home price declines. A new 15-year fixed-rate mortgage that allows borrowers to use the down payment to buy down the interest rate on the loan is designed to do just that.

What initially appeared to be a listening session by a key federal regulator about access to checking accounts has sparked concerns that the agency may be seeking to go much further in dictating how and when banks open accounts for consumers.

The agency is now using Fincen guidance that was designed to make banks and credit unions more comfortable with the pot industry's risks. Such actions are encouraging more banks — but still not many — to do business with this emerging industry.

WASHINGTON — Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg said Monday that federal regulators are keeping a close eye on the nonbank financial sector and how it is affecting banks.

A final piece of Bank of America Corp.'s record $16.7 billion toxic-mortgage settlement is being held up by an internal fight at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, said four people familiar with the case.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's report on private student loans should prompt lenders, regulators and universities to take action to help troubled borrowers and prevent future defaults.

Regulators on Friday closed The National Republic Bank of Chicago, the 16th institution to fail this year.

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WASHINGTON — House Republicans are seeking an investigation by an independent watchdog into the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s role in the Justice Department's "Operation Choke Point," which aims to combat illicit businesses by forcing them out of the banking system.

The elections on Nov. 4 are expected to be "the most expensive" mid-term race in history, with banks hoping for Republican control of the Senate in the hopes of enacting some regulatory relief. Following are how much the financial services industry has given and who they've given it to.

WASHINGTON — Regulators issued a proposal on Friday that would require banks to escrow premiums and fees for flood insurance on mortgages made or refinanced after Jan. 1, 2016.

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week.

The mid-term elections next month are on track to be one of the most expensive contests to date, and the financial services industry remains a top political donor.

Instead of trying to stop companies from offering payday loans and check cashing services to lower-income households, we should encourage more competitors — including banks — to enter this space.

WASHINGTON — The Financial Action Task Force sounded an alarm Thursday that banks are overreacting in their response to recent anti-money-laundering enforcement actions by cutting off whole swaths of business.

Most of the securitized single-family market is currently exempt, but only a tiny part of the commercial equivalent is. However, nonexempt commercial will get more expensive to issue, and the single-family exemption could change.

WASHINGTON — Risks posed by rising interest rates are once again a top theme in stress test scenarios released by the Federal Reserve Board on Thursday.

The Fed's hotly-anticipated road map outlining plans to speed up the U.S. payment system will call for the creation of several industry-led task forces and recommend building a new infrastructure to facilitate real-time payments.

The Fed's hotly-anticipated road map outlining plans to speed up the U.S. payment system will call for the creation of several industry-led task forces and recommend building a new infrastructure to facilitate real-time payments.