Politics

The administration's haphazard overhaul of financial regulatory bodies has produced confusion and uncertainty. What regulators should be prioritizing now is bringing a sense of stability to the industry.

The discussions are expected to focus on bankers' opposition to allowing interest payments on stablecoins, along with the ability of banks to compete in the crypto space and preventing the use of cryptocurrencies to facilitate illegal activities.

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said digital asset firms' trust charter bids fit into the historic scope of the charter, refuting claims that a 2021 interpretive letter he authored as OCC General Counsel expanded the charter's scope.

In oral arguments held Monday morning, a majority of Supreme Court justices seemed poised to overrule a 90-year-old precedent validating multimember independent commissions, but it remains uncertain what limits — if any — the court may impose on the president's removal powers.

The National Defense Authorization Act will be voted on by the House without the housing package that passed through the Senate Banking Committee unanimously.

Federal Reserve watchers expect a board of governors vote in February to reappoint the 12 regional Fed bank presidents — which is typically treated as a formality — to be the next flashpoint in the White House's effort to bring the central bank to heel.

A comment deadline is approaching on a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule that would dismantle longstanding rules meant to protect minorities from discrimination in the market for credit.

The agency is weighing costly infrastructure needs, fraud risks and long-term decline in check use as it solicits public input on the possibility of winding down checks following an executive order phasing out paper in federal payments.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced Friday that they are withdrawing from a 2013 interagency leveraged lending guidance, arguing it was overly restrictive, pushed activity to nonbanks and sidestepped official rulemaking.

A proposed increase to federal deposit insurance levels for certain business accounts is a necessary reform that will support community banks and the communities they serve.

A bipartisan housing provision has emerged as a critical negotiating point for passage of an uncommonly bank-relevant defense authorization bill.

What is a dollar? Noelle Acheson highlights how stablecoins are underlining the ways in which the absence of an official definition can have geopolitical and macroeconomic consequences.

Congress' recent ban on nearly all forms of intoxicating hemp products signals a sharp political turn away from rescheduling, making the prospects for cannabis banking reform even more dim than they already were.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Federal Reserve Board should reject the renomination of any regional Federal Reserve Bank presidents who have not lived in their districts for three years, signaling a potential confrontation when reappointments come before the board in February.

In a sternly worded letter, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Maxine Waters demanded to know why federal agencies haven't provided more guidance since the one-cent coin was discontinued. They accused the Trump administration of making an "abrupt and unilateral decision" without thinking it through.

As artificial intelligence boosts productivity gains, there is a danger that additional profits will accrue only to investors, leaving workers in the dust. A "10% for the people" tax could allow everyone to share in AI's benefits.

In a relatively mild oversight hearing in the House Financial Services Committee Tuesday morning, regulatory heads at the Federal Reserve, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, National Credit Union Administration and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. outlined plans for reduced capital requirements and debanking enforcement.

The debate over the "macro" questions about cryptocurrency in the U.S. has been largely settled. We're now entering the "micro" phase, where specific rules and regulations will be written to chart the industry's future.

Democratic lawmakers, led by Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., press 21 institutions for fee data after a federal agency halted disclosure requirements.

Recent high-profile ethics violations by senior Federal Reserve officials, including new revelations concerning stock trades by former Fed Gov. Adriana Kugler, have sparked debate over the effectiveness of the central bank's oversight, even as some observers stress such cases remain rare.