Trump administration

Panelists speaking at American Banker's Most Powerful Women in Banking conference said they appreciate the deregulatory efforts underway under Trump, but said clarity on tariffs and rules of the road for emerging technologies would unlock future growth.

The Department of Justice has filed a motion opposing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employee union's appeal of an August D.C. Circuit ruling allowing the administration to fire up to 90% of the agency's workforce.

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould said in an interview with American Banker that his agency is looking at whether its own internal guidance may have contributed to a climate where banks feel the need to "cite everything" to avoid supervisory penalties.

Following the lead of banking regulators, the National Credit Union Administration has proposed a rule that would eliminate references to reputational risk from its examination manuals and would forbid debanking based on political views.

The effort to establish rules governing consumers' access to their financial data has been effectively derailed by litigation, moves made by the Trump-era CFPB and JPMorganChase's decision to start charging data aggregators for access to customer data.

CEO Chris Gorman applauded what he sees as a transformation of bank regulation since President Trump took office. He described a shift from layers of exams and documentation to a streamlined focus on liquidity, capital and earnings.

Federal Reserve Gov. Stephen Miran said Thursday that the central bank's forays into examining climate change and racial justice under the prior administration politicized the Fed. He also argued that Fed officials should limit their comments on economic policies such as tariffs.

A federal judge in San Francisco ordered a temporary halt to reduction in force orders issued by the Office of Management and Budget during the government shutdown, while OMB Director Russell Vought has said he expects to lay off more than 10,000 federal workers.

Federal Reserve Governor Stephan Miran said the economic standoff with China could increase market volatility, further necessitating the central bank to move its policy stance to neutral.

Treasury laid off all of its Community Development Financial Institution Fund staff on Friday, with the reduction in force notices saying that the department plans on abolishing the fund.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has announced job openings for attorney-advisors to represent the agency in defensive and appellate litigation.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Thursday said the bank asset thresholds that trigger enhanced prudential standards like stress testing and additional capital requirements require a recalibration to account for inflation.

Top Democratic lawmakers are asking the full appeals court to hear a case about the Trump administration's efforts to fire employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., asked bank regulators to give banks the supervisory clearance to extend lines of credit and modify loan terms for federal employees furloughed after the government shut down last week.

Banks are scouring consumer complaints, bank accounts and loan denials to identify people and companies who they may have cut off from banking services amid a new push by the Trump administration to address allegations of political bias in debanking.

The first government shutdown since 2019 will slow flood insurance originations and new Small Business Administration loans, though self-funded banking regulators will continue operating as usual.

The Supreme Court said Wednesday that it would defer President Donald Trump's request for a stay until after oral arguments scheduled for January 2026, allowing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to remain on the board at least until then.

Federal Reserve Vice Chair Philip Jefferson said despite the near term cloudiness to economic projections, he does expect inflation to resume its downward trajectory next year and reach the Fed's 2% inflation target in the coming years.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's union is appealing an appellate panel's ruling that allows acting CFPB Director Russell Vought to fire 90% of the bureau's staff.

Legal experts say the outcome of Slaughter v. Trump, which considers Trump's termination of a Federal Trade Commission member, could have profound implications for Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook's litigation, which in turn could determine the future autonomy of the central bank.