Regulatory reform

Though it's too early to have a concrete plan regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the administration is creating a set of principles that it hopes to release in a few months.

Banking regulators on Tuesday called for a raft of regulatory changes, including streamlining capital, reporting and appraisal rules in order to reduce compliance burden.

As the House Financial Services Committee prepares for a hearing on the struggles of chartering new financial institutions, CU observers debate whether or not the credit union movement – amid an ongoing trend of industry consolidation – actually needs any new entrants.

Community bankers want a two-year span between exams for small banks in good standing. Regulators, however, are reluctant to revert to pre-crisis policies.

Financial institutions see their best chance to repeal interchange debit fee caps, but merchants are confident they can prevent Congress from taking up the issue again.

FDIC Vice Chairman Thomas Hoenig's plan to allow large institutions to separate their core banking activities from their investment activities could allow the Trump administration a way to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act.

The Treasury Department announced the appointment of four new senior staff members late Friday.

In his meeting with community bankers, President Trump openly pondered the fate of CFPB Director Richard Cordray with his advisers and appeared eager to quickly fix industry concerns through executive orders.

President Trump met with community bankers on Thursday to highlight executive actions he has taken to provide regulatory relief to the industry and promote job growth.

Using stress tests as the capital benchmark in a reformed regulatory system could enable some forms of relief, but other rules should remain in place to ensure financial stability.