Politics

A proposal before Congress to raise the federal deposit insurance cap to $10 million for non-interest-bearing business accounts would help community banks continue recycling deposits into local lending.

The Trump administration has ordered banking agencies to root out and identify instances of politically motivated debanking while at the same time raising pressure on banks to scrutinize or potentially sever their ties with liberal nonprofit clients. That dynamic creates a compliance puzzle with no obvious answers, experts say.

Federal Reserve Gov. Christopher Waller has directed central bank staff to explore the concept of a limited payment account, which would give nonbank entities in the payments space — including crypto firms — access to traditional payment systems.

Senate Banking Committee Republicans, led by committee chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., introduced a bill that would raise the mandatory reporting threshold for certain currency transactions, a move meant to ease banks' anti-money laundering compliance obligations.

Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., is urging the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. not to approve new Industrial Loan Company charters until Congress passes a law subjecting ILCs to bank holding company rules.

Six trade groups warned the administration layoffs and funding freezes could dampen lending, threatening the administration's goal of economic growth.

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said in an interview with American Banker that his agency is looking at whether its own internal guidance may have contributed to a climate where banks feel the need to "cite everything" to avoid supervisory penalties.

Following the lead of banking regulators, the National Credit Union Administration has proposed a rule that would eliminate references to reputational risk from its examination manuals and would forbid debanking based on political views.

Real due process in bank supervision is not merely administrative housekeeping — it is fundamental to the credibility, fairness and effectiveness of the regulatory system.

Community banks and state banking groups are seeking structural reforms rather than a simple coverage increase.