Law and regulation

White House officials have approached American Express Co. (AXP) Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Chenault about joining President Barack Obama's second-term administration, possibly as Treasury secretary.

White House officials have approached American Express Co. CEO Kenneth Chenault about joining President Barack Obama’s second-term administration, possibly as Treasury secretary, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Morgan Stanley's handling of Facebook Inc.'s (FB) initial public offering, a deal that cost investors billions of dollars, broke a decade-old pledge to block investment bankers from influencing analysts, according to Massachusetts regulators, who fined the bank $5 million.

Its purpose was to study what consumers know about dispute resolution clauses. This is particularly important because most checking accountholders are covered by these clauses and may not be aware of them.

Every banker is under scrutiny, but last year we pegged 10 executives as potential news makers for 2012. Some made big headlines; others seemed to get through the year without making much noise. Here is a recap.

A yearlong FDIC research project charts the impact of consolidation and other pressures on small banks, but suggests continued viability for the sector.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has realigned its Supervision Department into two groups: Supervision Policy and Supervision Examinations.

Although this initial phase of the program may seem beneficial as it seeks to keep European competitors honest, enforced convergence is a double-edged sword that raises worrisome issues for our country.

Hedge funds and private-equity firms are betting on delinquent home loans being sold by the FHA as the government agency accelerates debt sales to avert a bailout and stem foreclosures.

In its first-year progress report on community banks, the FDIC details how it is responding to specific complaints outlined by institutions at roundtables earlier this year.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Johnson is pushing for a vote as early as this week on a bill that would allow the Federal Housing Administration to raise its mortgage insurance premiums to help the agency bolster is waning capital reserves.

To ensure compliance with applicable consumer financial laws, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a manual on how its examiners will review private student lenders. The Student Lending Examination Procedures will be used to examine both banks and non-banks that offer student loans.

The Federal Reserve Board released a proposal that would overhaul the way regulators will supervise foreign banks within the U.S. This approach would be a significant difference from the board's current case-by-case method.

The role of the federal government in housing is the first question that needs to be answered, putting aside political rhetoric and preconceived notions about the subject.

The National Credit Union Administration has sued a JPMorgan Chase (JPM) unit claiming Bear Stearns & Co., which it acquired in 2008, used misleading documents in selling $3.6 billion in mortgage-backed securities to four corporate credit unions that later failed.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released a guide Monday to how its examiners will review any private student lender to ensure compliance with applicable consumer financial laws.

With just two weeks before the end of the year, there is a lot going on in Washington. Rather than tell you all the stories happening, we thought we would boil it down to the essential stories from D.C. last week. If you haven't read these, you're missing out.

Federal Reserve Board Gov. Jeremy Stein on Monday underscored the need to reform the way the U.S. central bank regulates foreign banking firms that rely heavily on short-term funding.

Some struggling homeowners left out of current mortgage-aid programs because their loans have been packaged into private securities could see their interest rates cut through a subsidy being considered by the Treasury Department.

Some are in new roles, some taking their banks in new directions and others most definitely on the hot seat. All eyes will be on these chief executives in the year ahead.