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The speculation is that Maria Vullo, who is waiting to be confirmed as New York's new banking superintendent, is less interested in being on the 6 o'clock news than Ben Lawsky was. A study shows that companies sap women of ambition to advance within two years, an effect that doesn't happen with men in part because they tend to get more encouragement. But is it any wonder women feel that way when Â-- even now, it appears Â-- they might get fired for refusing to wear high heels at work? Also, Sallie Krawcheck, Sheila Bair and Elizabeth Warren.

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Kerry Meets with European Banks: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with European banking leaders Thursday to urge them to increase lawful business ties with Iran and ensure them they won't be punished for doing so. The visit is part of a push to ensure Tehran receives the relief the U.S. pledged in January. Executives at Standard Chartered, HSBC, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, Santander, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank...

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Growing Pains: The toppling of Lending Club chief executive Renaud Laplanche Monday is sure to bring heightened investor scrutiny and concerns about the peer-to-peer business model of the broader online lending industry, which has already been reporting slowing investor demand for loans or drops in lending volume this year, and now needs to prove its members won't be the ones getting disrupted, the Journal says. Legacy banking institutions have been welcoming to...

Receiving Wide Coverage ...

Reaction: The reaction to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposal to prevent banks from using mandatory arbitration to block class-action lawsuits was swift and, for the most part, predictable. Not surprisingly, the financial industry (and Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas) blasted it.

"Consumers will get less and pay more," the American Bankers Association's president, Rob Nichols, said. ...

New York Times

The Times has a curtain-raiser on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's proposal to let consumers bring class-action lawsuits against banks and other financial-services companies, rather than be forced into mandatory arbitration. Read a concise account of the CFPB's proposal by American Banker's Kate Berry here. The proposal, if approved, would be a "major setback for banks, credit unions, credit card companies and many other financial firms," AB reports. In fact, the proposal would...