Licenses and charters

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.

While some policymakers are open to accommodating fintech companies with looser oversight compared with banks, the New York State superintendent is unapologetic about her tough approach.

Readers slam credit unions’ ever-inclusive membership criteria, weigh in on the OCC’s proposed fintech charter, encourage a rewrite of the CRA, and more.

Observers see recent comments by acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika as a sign that the agency may plow ahead on its policy for fintech firms.

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika should take some time to assess whether the agency’s fintech charter is developing in a way that best serves the public.

Arizona, Nevada, Florida and North Carolina have lost more banks than other states, based on the percentage decline since 2010. Each has a unique set of reasons that goes beyond regulation and a dearth of de novo activity.

Readers sound off on airing political opinions at the office; putting banks and fintechs under the same regulatory umbrella; putting consumer needs first regardless of tech advancements; and more.