Regulatory reform

Housing regulators should not adopt an alternative credit scoring model until the banking industry is on board.

Of the more than 30 GOP lawmakers due to retire at yearend — a historically significant level of departures for a single election — several are important to banking policy.

House Republicans are exiting Congress in droves ahead of the 2018 midterm elections and the stakes for the financial services industry could be significant.

The Senate Banking Committee is expected to consider the nominations of Jelena McWilliams to be FDIC chair and Marvin Goodfriend as a governor of the Federal Reserve Board.

Cryptocurrencies continue to dominate much of the news, with a warning on bitcoin taking the top spot and a story about Ripple's partnership with MoneyGram doing well. Housing finance reform, Wells Fargo and the CFPB also featured.

The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on five bills, three of which are included in the deal negotiated between Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and moderate Democrats.

The Senate Banking Committee will have two additional members in 2018: Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Doug Jones, D-Ala.

The Senate Banking Committee is expected soon to release a bipartisan bill that would significantly reshape the housing finance market, but key issues remain unresolved.

The banking industry braced for big changes with the election of President Trump, but the financial reform law has proven its staying power over the past year.

The Senate Banking Committee's first hearing of 2018 will focus on anti-money-laundering efforts and counter terrorist financing, which could be a precursor to legislative reforms.