News Topic: law-regulation

If Congress fails to act swiftly, most lending supported by the SBA will shut down for much of the next two months. This would undermine recent strength in a vital component of the American economy. ... Read full article

As new foreign bank regulations push financial institutions to shed risk-weighted assets, companies like Barclays and RBS are reducing their roles in the mortgage-backed securities market. But reduced competition in this sector is bad for liquidity. ... Read full article

Regulators and Congress can take several key steps to ease community banks' burden, from implementing tiered regulation to requiring less frequent call reports. And they should also remember that banks are innocent until proven guilty. ... Read full article

A recap of the informed opinions (and the discussions they generated) on BankThink this week, including ways to make megabanks pay for their Â"too big to failÂ" subsidy and how banks can help put an end to human trafficking. ... Read full article

Financial monitoring is one of the most effective ways to identify human traffickers. That's why it's crucial that banks work closely with law enforcement officials to put a stop to this criminal activity. ... Read full article

Banks often complain that the Federal Reserve's zero percent interest rate policy has been hard on profits. But they may not be as informed about the long-term negative effects of the Fed's annual inflation target of 2%. ... Read full article

Some housing professionals have grown reluctant to participate in the Federal Home Loan Banks' Affordable Housing Program, objecting to burdensome requirements and rules that are inconsistent with other funding sources. It's time for the Federal ... Read full article

Wall Street's favored bank-resolution strategy would virtually guarantee future bailouts while imposing the costs on taxpayers and ordinary investors. At the very least, the damage can be mitigated with three key reforms. ... Read full article

A recent CFPB study lays the groundwork to roll back financial firms' use of arbitration clauses. But rather than protecting consumers, such a measure could wind up forcing people into costly and time-consuming lawsuits. ... Read full article

The Dodd-Frank Act orders regulators to create diversity standards that govern financial institutions' hiring and contracting practices. So why did they shy away from the chance to propose clear, measurable reporting requirements? ... Read full article

Most banks ask executives to coordinate a vast patchwork of regulation in addition to managing their day jobs. They'd be better off putting one person in charge of regulatory communication, remediation and coordination. ... Read full article

Nobody wants a big-bank bailout, but compared to the risk of contagion, it's the lesser of two evils. ... Read full article

Federal prosecutors are cracking down on violations of the Bank Secrecy Act Â-- often without first clarifying to virtual currency firms and other industries the sort of behavior will get them in trouble. ... Read full article

Requiring brokers to come clean with customers about conflicts of interest sounds like an easy way to address biases. But disclosures are only effective if recipients understand how the conflict has influenced the advisor and have a way to correct that ... Read full article

Trade finance has been quietly making a significant contribution to global growth. But regulations like Basel III could reduce its availability. ... Read full article

The Supreme Court's recent ruling that the disparate impact theory of liability can be applied to the Fair Housing Act means mortgage lenders must be even more vigilant in their ongoing testing and evaluation of business practices that could be ... Read full article

MetLife and its allies are pushing back against the Financial Stability Oversight Council. But it's well worth imposing additional regulatory costs on large nonbanks if doing so helps prevent another crisis. ... Read full article

The Federal Housing Finance Agency wants to exclude mortgage real estate investment trusts from membership in the Federal Home Loan Banks. That would be a major setback for the entry-level borrowers who depend on mortgage REITs for sustainable ... Read full article