Politics

President Trump has promised to reduce banking regulations, a form of indirect tax or "bank tariff," that will help the banking industry. But, he also plans to impose new tariffs on imports that may adversely impact agricultural and manufacturing industries and thus their banks.

The incoming administration will have a number of tools at its disposal to immediately pare back stifling federal regulation of financial services and boost the housing market. It should use them.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rescinded a proposed rule on nonsufficient funds fees and a 2020 advisory opinion on earned wage access products.

Scott Bessent, Donald Trump's pick to serve as Treasury Secretary, handled a policy-heavy confirmation hearing with poise, highlighting his preference for relaxed bank regulation, support of the 2017 Trump tax cuts and a hawkish approach to spending.

The nominee to lead Federal Housing Finance is head of Pulte Capital Partners, which invests in homebuilding related businesses.

With the Federal Reserve touting a slower pace of easing, markets are expecting a longer pause. But Gov. Christopher Waller said the next interest rate reduction could come as soon as March because of inflation data.

The Biden administration is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a lower court injunction against the Corporate Transparency Act, which requires businesses to disclose their beneficial owners. The outcome has significant implications for banks' AML compliance burdens.

Hedge fund manager Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, will appear before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing Thursday morning starting at 10:30 am.

It's no accident that national banks have, so far, been insulated from major crypto disasters. Congress and the incoming administration should take heed and avoid eliminating the guardrails that have kept banks safe.

The chairman of the financial institutions panel of the House Financial Services Committee said his newly reintroduced bill has a considerable chance of passing with Republicans in control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.