Trump administration

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said in a letter to Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., that the OCC "intends to act consistent with this duty rather than your demand."

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s approval of industrial loan company charter applications for General Motors and Ford Motor Company generated only moderate pushback from banks as crypto, debanking and credit card rate caps dominate the industry's attention.

Observers said the Supreme Court likely will allow Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook to remain at her post while she challenges her purported removal by President Donald Trump. But her continued presence would slow, rather than stop, the president's quest for a voting majority on the central bank board.

The Supreme Court Wednesday appeared skeptical of the Justice Department's argument that removal of a Federal Reserve governor is unreviewable or that the president's preference for Fed governors outweighs the harm to the Fed from curbing the central bank's political independence.

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said Friday that the administration expects banks to voluntarily issue "Trump cards" with 10% rate caps, a move that could quell Congress' moves to impose a cap through legislation — but that's no guarantee.

Merchant groups are not taking a position on President Donald Trump's threats to cap interest rates, but they are bullish on the president's endorsement of the Credit Card Competition Act.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman warned that labor market conditions could weaken further and said the central bank should avoid signaling a pause in monetary policy.

A handful of former Fed officials noted that the markets' measured response to a probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell was a result of pushback from Trump allies.

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran said he doesn't "really buy" the view that a potential indictment of Fed Chair Jerome Powell would affect the central bank's monetary policy.

President Trump Tuesday told reporters he would not delay announcing his pick to fill a new vacancy on the Federal Reserve Board despite threats from Republican Senators to block any Fed nomination until a recently-disclosed Justice Department investigation into Fed Chair Jerome Powell is resolved.

Financial markets took a tumble Monday morning after Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced that he was the subject of a Justice Department inquiry concerning the central bank's headquarters renovation. Lawmakers and former Fed officials decried the move as political intimidation.

Analysts say credit card companies could face a major hit to earnings, while banks would also be under pressure.

The American Bankers Association and other groups contend the president's plan to cap credit card interest rates at 10% would drive consumers toward less regulated, more costly alternatives.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the central bank has been served grand jury subpoenas and been threatened with criminal indictment, moves he called "pretexts" to influence interest rates through "political pressure or intimidation."

Acting CFPB Director Russell Vought agreed to request $145 million in funding from the Federal Reserve, yielding to a court order to avoid a contempt citation.

The Senate allowed the nomination of a permanent director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to lapse, giving acting Director Russell Vought more time to lead the agency on a temporary basis.

The Federal Reserve will resume accepting pennies from banks and credit unions at all commercial coin distribution locations beginning Jan. 14. The central bank had ceased accepting pennies at some distribution centers late last year, but bankers praised Thursday's reversal.

Banking experts say World Liberty Trust's application for a trust charter with a regulatory body directed by the White House creates inherent conflicts of interest, while the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said the application will be considered on its merits.

World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture co-founded by President Trump, applied for a national trust charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The move comes as several prominent crypto companies have applied for and received conditional approval for trust charters since the beginning of the Trump administration.

Even as oil stocks jump and lawmakers clash over Trump's decision to intervene in Venezuela, experts say U.S. banks face little short-term risk, and any energy payoff is years away.