Politics and policy

The fireworks that traditionally accompany big bank CEOs' appearances in Congress were absent Wednesday, but instead executives pushed their opposition to the Basel III capital rules and its impact on the economy. 

The number of government-backed home loans transferred from one borrower to another is up significantly this year as prospective buyers look for ways to avoid elevated interest rates. Some say this is the beginning of a larger movement, but others say regulatory hurdles will get in the way.

Rep. Maxine Waters pressed executives from City National Bank, PNC Financial Services and Wells Fargo on opening branches in her California district and upholding promises made from recent merger agreements or consent orders.

Democratic Sens. Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Jack Reed and John Fetterman say the revised approach would ensure the risks posed by the nation's largest banks are appropriately addressed. International banks, meanwhile, are concerned about the implications of the change.

The financial services industry has run TV ads during football games and organized lobbying visits by small-business owners in its fight against the Basel III endgame plan to raise capital requirements for larger lenders. The tactics are beginning to show signs of working.

This week the Small Business Administration followed through with a controversial policy change by granting access to its flagship 7(a) program to three additional nonbank lenders. These new participants vowed to ramp up their small-business lending efforts.

The failures of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic brought to light the Federal Home Loan Banks' role as a 'lender of next-to-last resort.' Some critics say that the review from the Federal Housing Finance Agency should bring the system back to its original purpose of oiling the mortgage finance market.