Licenses and charters

A decision by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. — soon to be under new management — on Square’s ILC application could foreshadow how other fintech firms seek banking powers.

Fintech firms and industry watchers hope the pilot program will help fix a balkanized chartering system, but getting enough states on board to expand the plan's reach could be a challenge.

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing Tuesday on the fintech industry as Congress is still beginning the conversation about what a legislative approach should look like.

The regulator has approved one more de novo charter in the waning days of 2017 to Civic FCU, which will serve government employees.

The number of newly chartered credit unions can’t compensate for consolidation across the industry, and many sources say that isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

The House Financial Services Committee, by a vote of 60-0, approved a bill amending key provisions of the Secure and Fair Enforcement for Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008.

The nomination of Jelena McWilliams to chair the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. moves the Trump administration one step closer to completing its team of regulatory appointments in its push to undo former President Obama's post-crisis policies.

The most immediate threat to the safeguards underpinning a well-functioning banking sector involves the failure of regulators to hold banks accountable.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., sent a letter to OCC officials suggesting that Bank of Tokyo was trying to avoid an investigation by New York examiners when it switched to a federal charter.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika has been the ultimate disruptor, bucking the normally low-key profile of interim regulators.

While increasing de novo activity is encouraging, the processes of chartering a bank and applying for deposit insurance are more onerous, lengthy and costly than they need to be.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika pushed back against concerns that his agency's proposed fintech charter will unduly benefit nonfinancial firms.

The Boulder, Col.-based credit union will serve the 4,300 members of the American Solar Energy Society.

Few lawmakers have stated positions on fintech applications for industrial loan company charters. It may not stay that way.

In the midst of a public feud between federal regulators on the right process for chartering new banks, Federal Financial Analytics argues that regulators should instead focus on loosening capital standards for new industry entrants.

After repeated attacks from acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. defended its role in greenlighting prospective bank applicants.

Readers react to the CFPB’s final arbitration rule, a new potential hurdle for initial coin offerings, a housing finance reform proposal and more.

It is only a matter of time before bankers and policymakers realize that the concept keeping banks and non-financial entities apart no longer has any underlying support.

Citigroup hopes to return $60 billion to shareholders by 2020 while earning $20 billion a year; SEC says companies that raise money by selling their own electronic tokens for cryptocurrencies may be subject to federal oversight.

Social Finance’s application for an industrial loan charter has not only drawn opposition from a coalition of incumbent banks and community activists, it also serves as a microcosm of several perennial debates in financial services policy.