Legal issues and news

Foisted on the banking industry decades ago, with no formal rulemaking process, the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council Manual should be eliminated in favor of new rules crafted with the input of relevant stakeholders.

First Northwest Bancorp is parting ways with CEO Matt Deines "by mutual agreement," the Port Angeles, Washington-based company said. Deines' departure comes a month after a hedge fund sued, alleging the lender was complicit in a Ponzi scheme.

The New Hampshire congresswoman promised new investigations into scam drivers, including AI and digital payment platforms.

Despite bipartisan support and backing from bank trade groups, the Treasury scrapped a corporate ownership reporting rule meant to expose shell companies and aid financial compliance. But the problems that spurred the law's passage still remain.

Regulators from California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York and Texas levied the fine for anti-money-laundering and Bank Secrecy Act violations, which comes as Wise seeks a banking license in the U.S.

The union representing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in their suit against mass firings at the agency said the Supreme Court's ruling allowing President Trump to proceed with mass reductions-in-force elsewhere does not impact the union's lawsuit.

A district court judge this week has denied allowing four groups — the American Fintech Council, Financial Data and Technology Association, Financial Health Network and Public Citizen — to file legal briefs in support of a rule on financial data rights.

The volunteer firefighting crew in Kerr County was the target of impersonation scams on the digital payments platform for donations to relief efforts.

The show business-themed restaurant, which benefited from a federal loan near the start of the pandemic, says it now owes millions thanks to the Miami-based bank's "fraud, negligence, and misrepresentations." A BankUnited spokesperson declined to comment.