Regulation

Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., will propose legislation on Friday that would curtail the Federal Reserve's ability to slow down the bank merger process by mandating that the central bank must approve or deny applications within 90 days of receiving them.

The Federal Reserve Board's 2024 stress test scenario posits severe market volatility, widening corporate bond spreads and significant declines in asset prices. The scenario comes alongside new exploratory analyses probing additional risks for the first time.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network Tuesday proposed a rule to include investment advisors in the compliance regime under the Bank Secrecy Act, aiming to close regulatory gaps exploited by criminals.

The original lawsuit was one of several filed in 2014 in a coordinated effort among federal and state regulators aimed at fraudsters trying to cheat distressed mortgage borrowers.

Federal prosecutors allege that Shan Hanes, the former CEO of the now defunct Heartland Tri-State Bank, illegally took money from customers to fund cryptocurrency investments. He could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Brandon Milhorn, the new CEO of the Conference of State Banking Supervisors, used the platform offered by his first major speech to sound an alarm against one-size-fits-all solutions emanating from Washington. "The pendulum has swung too far in the direction of federal regulatory uniformity," Milhorn argued.

The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network fined a New York credit union employee $100,000 Wednesday in connection with a scheme to launder $1 billion using armored trucks and the credit union's Fed master account.

Large and regional banks are taking different approaches to buybacks in light of the proposed new capital rules. Some plan to buy back stock at moderate levels this year, while others say they will to remain on the sidelines until there is more clarity about the reforms.

Banks and Congressmen alike see U.S. regulators' version of Basel III as overly stringent for the securitization market.

Banking regulators' push for higher capital for the largest banks may very well pass in some form, but before it does, there needs to be an articulated plan for tackling the migration of banking activities out of the banking system.