Volcker Rule

Several community banks are warning Congress that their participation in the Paycheck Protection Program could cause them to cross a threshold that may lead to, among other things, supervision by the CFPB and a cap on interchange fees.

Policymakers have eased some rules and the Supreme Court recently dealt a blow to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But as the landmark legislation approaches its 10th anniversary, the post-crisis regulatory regime has stayed largely intact.

The Fed stopped short of banning payouts entirely following bank stress tests; banks get greater freedom to invest in venture capital funds and reduced collateral on swap trades.

Five financial regulatory agencies clarified the meaning of "covered funds" under the Volcker Rule. Meanwhile, the FDIC gave certain banks more flexibility in interaffiliate exchanges of swaps and adopted a workaround of a court decision governing interest rates on loans sold across state lines.

The agencies will give the industry another month to submit feedback on the so-called covered fund portion of the rule "in light of potential disruptions resulting from the coronavirus.”

The overhaul calls for massive job cuts but leaves interim CEO Noel Quinn’s permanent role in limbo; the program would throw out most of Trump’s Dodd-Frank rollbacks.

Years after criticizing the Dodd-Frank Act, the Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is now taking a page from the Elizabeth Warren playbook.

Compared with incendiary fights elsewhere in the capital, deliberations among the banking agencies tend to be more banal. But on issues from the Volcker Rule to CRA reform, disagreements lately between officials have grown sharper.

The three cease and desist orders and one written agreement had cited separate concerns at JPMorgan Chase, Discover, Deutsche Bank and RBS.

Banks would be allowed to own stakes in venture capital funds; the combined BB&T-SunTrust isn’t realizing cost savings as fast as it projected.