Stress tests

How the big banks fared in the Fed's latest round of stress testing; what's on new FDIC chair Jelena McWilliams' plate; why banks' biggest risk factor may be employees who don't speak up; and more from this week's most-read stories.

Judge says agency should not exist; the Fed says the largest banks are “strongly capitalized” and could withstand a severe crisis.

All 35 banks passed the Federal Reserve's first round of tests, but their results were not as stellar as last year's.

Jelena McWilliams said the agency will ask banks what's working and what's not; the acquisition of Hyperwallet Systems lets PayPal offer more services.

Among the six biggest U.S. banks, Bank of America might deliver one of the steepest jumps in payouts. Wells Fargo is the wild card.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said the agency has its hand full between proposals on liquidity and capital requirements and additional mandates made by the recently enacted regulatory relief law.

The agency will release the results of the Dodd-Frank Act Stress Test on June 21 and the Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review on June 28.

The regulatory relief legislation rolls back several stress test requirements for regional and midsize banks, putting more onus on financial institutions and their regulators to ensure banks are managing their risk appropriately.

As the Fed continues to hone post-crisis tools, its chairman said central banks cannot take their independence for granted.

The Federal Reserve’s top regulator says proposed capital changes make system safer while overall capital levels are unchanged.