Opinion News from American Banker

President Donald Trump's concerted effort to bring the entirety of the executive branch under his direct control defies tradition, and in some cases, likely the law. Banks have thus far voiced little objection, but they should know how critical the rule of law is to their bottom line.

Too often, banks confronting a problem with their anti-money-laundering compliance opt for quick fixes that fail to address the root of the problem. Building a good corporate risk culture takes time and investment.

Banks are analyzing their regulatory exposure through the lens of "red state" versus "blue state" requirements — a consideration that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago.

Federal agencies need to speak with one voice when it comes to allowing legitimate crypto businesses full access to financial services.

Banking regulation doesn't need to mimic the hyper-partisan nature of today's politics. A balanced FDIC board would confer legitimacy on any efforts by the Trump administration to overhaul financial-services regulation.

An overhaul of the bank regulatory system is past due, but the urge to start tearing up the rule book must be resisted in favor of precision and the thoughtful application of some basic principles.

A proposal to tie cancellation of private mortgage insurance policies to automated valuation models would add unnecessary risk to mortgage portfolios and would result in less, not more, affordable housing.

The rule requiring businesses to report their beneficial ownership is deeply flawed. Enforcement should be suspended until it can be revised to place fewer burdens on law-abiding people and companies.

The Trump administration has taken the first steps toward turning the U.S. into the world's crypto "capital" — but is it willing to go all the way?

The government-sponsored enterprises were not meant to remain in conservatorship permanently, but privatizing them once again must include a new set of rules that minimize market disruptions and maximize their focus on making homeownership affordable.

After nearly 10 years of banking my business, BofA debanked it because of overzealous anti-money-laundering enforcement. The Trump administration must bring back common sense to Bank Secrecy Act compliance.

By repealing the Biden administration's artificial intelligence safety guidelines, President Trump has created a chance for the banking industry to demonstrate that it can be a leader in protecting consumers.

The time is ripe for Congress and the president to shrink the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s board of directors back down to its original three members, removing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's seat.

The reality of banking is that some customers are riskier and more labor-intensive than some banks want to tolerate. If Congress doesn't like where banks draw the line, it needs to understand what moving it will entail.

Long-term partnerships between banks and fintechs are the real future of financial services. Pharmaceutical firms' relationships with contract research organizations offer a useful model.

The devastation of communities across Southern California will, inevitably, cause tremendous stress on the banks that serve them. This should be a wake-up call for regulators to take climate risk more seriously.

AI isn't inherently good or bad; its value depends entirely on how it's used. For financial institutions, this means shifting the focus from internal productivity gains to customer outcomes.

Non-stablecoin cryptocurrencies have no inherent value, so creating a federal "reserve" of them is absurd on its face. Chinese hacking of bitcoin will have no significant economic impact.

President Trump's executive order is meant to roll back his predecessor's emphasis on diversity and inclusion, but it could also complicate the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.'s efforts to correct its own workplace-harassment problems.

A trio of high-profile lawsuits issued at the tail end of the Biden administration indicate that the agency cares more about pursuing a political agenda than it does about helping American consumers.