Claire Williams

A bottleneck at the Small Business Administration in clearing federal small business loans because of the ongoing federal government shutdown is becoming an increasingly urgent issue for small and even some midsized banks.

House Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters, D-Calif., asked bank regulators to give banks the supervisory clearance to extend lines of credit and modify loan terms for federal employees furloughed after the government shut down last week.

Senate Banking Committee ranking member Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., led a group of congressional Democrats in a letter to bank regulators telling them that loosening capital rules wouldn't improve the Treasury market's functioning.

The CDFI Fund is updating definitions of eligible activity to be considered for the funds, including removing climate-focused financing and references to race and ethnicity.

Opposition is building against a bipartisan bill that would raise deposit insurance for business accounts, with increased deposit insurance premiums a chief concern.

Stephen Miran will take unpaid leave from and might seek to return to President Trump's Council of Economic Advisers, he said, raising conflict of interest questions in his nomination hearing for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.

A proposed rule published Tuesday in the Federal Register would limit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's ability to designate nonbank entities for supervision.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau doubles its anticipated rulemaking agenda from last year, even as bureau employees expect mass layoffs.

A dramatic boardroom purge at the NCUA has unleashed a fierce debate over the future of credit unions, and whether they're still serving their original mission.

The Senate Banking Committee passed a housing package that includes funding for manufactured and other kinds of housing, but also includes an appraisal provision that mortgage bankers oppose.

Calls for applications for a bank-specific program within the Community Development Financial Institution Fund have been delayed, raising the possibility that those funds are unspent before the appropriated money expires.

As the Federal Reserve considers changes to the supplemental leverage ratio, Fed Board Chair Jerome Powell said that effort is one piece of a broader deregulation package that will also address the Basel III capital rules.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified in the House Tuesday on the heels of yet another pointed social media post from President Donald Trump. But House Republicans largely avoided landing political blows against the central bank chair.

The Senate voted to confirm Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman's nomination to be the vice chair for supervision at the central bank in a 48-46 party-line vote.

Elon Musk, formerly head of the Department of Government Efficiency, said he will officially leave the federal government after a short but tumultuous tenure. DOGE's actions at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are being reviewed in federal court.

The Trump administration says it will nominate Jonathan McKernan to serve as Treasury undersecretary for domestic finance. McKernan has already been nominated as the next director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

A federal judge has ordered FDATR, a now-defunct student loan debt relief provider, to pay $43 million in restitution and fees, bucking the trend of cases brought by the Biden administration-era Consumer Financial Protection Bureau being dropped.

President Donald Trump's proposed budget would nix funding for Community Development Financial Institutions in minority-heavy areas while expanding it for rural areas.

Rapid deregulation, tariffs and a campaign to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have defined the early days of President Donald Trump's second term for bankers.

Sen. Dick Durbin, the Senate's No. 2 Democrat, announced he will not seek reelection in 2026, concluding more than four decades in Congress. The Illinois lawmaker leaves behind a notable imprint on U.S. financial policy, particularly regarding swipe fees.