Banking with Interest

Brendan Pedersen, author of Punchbowl News' The Vault, talks about why key Democrats withdrew support for a bill to regulate stablecoins, how House Financial Services Committee GOP are targeting CFPB, and why an effort to overturn the medical debt rule appears to have failed for now.

President Trump is flirting with the idea of firing Fed Chairman Jerome Powell while the administration is attempting to lay off 90% of the CFPB's employees. John Heltman, Washington bureau chief of American Banker, and Kate Berry, the paper's consumer reporter, discuss what's next for these two agencies.

Jaret Seiberg, managing director at TD Cowen, talks about how the uncertain economic environment—and changing policies regarding tariffs—are impacting banks large and small. He also tackles Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's bank regulatory agenda, whether the Trump administration can successfully accomplish GSE reform and the significant risks to banks from stablecoin legislation.

Brandon Milhorn, the CEO of the Conference of State Bank Supervisors, details his concerns about bills fast-tracked in Congress that would give regulatory guardrails for stablecoins. The state regulators he represents say it would open the door to mixing banking and commerce, disintermediate banks and give too much power to the federal government.

Katy O'Donnell, the financial services reporter for Politico , dives into a series of surprising moves by new FHFA Director Bill Pulte, including firing the CEO of Freddie Mac, appointing himself chair of both GSEs, and cutting programs.

The Trump administration unexpectedly targeted the Community Development Financial Institution Fund, touching off concern among bankers and their representatives that the bipartisan program could be eliminated. Ryan Tracy, who covers financial regulation and banking for Capitol Account , explains what happened, why, and the future of CDFIs. We also discuss the latest legal maneuvers surrounding th...

Not that long ago, the Treasury secretary mostly took a back seat to the banking agencies in crafting policy, stepping in only during times of crisis. Not anymore. Karen Shaw Petrou, managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics, discusses Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's expansive view of his own role, why he's taking charge, and what it means for banks.

Cam Fowler, the CEO of Zelle parent company Early Warning Services, talks about the peer-to-peer payment system's rapid growth, the furor around fraud, and its new digital wallet, Paze. Fowler explains how the company is working to make the platform safer for consumers and why he believes shared accountability is the best approach to stopping criminals.

Rep. Frank Lucas, the chair of a newly created Congressional task force on monetary policy, discusses the panel's agenda and upcoming hearings, the first of which takes place this week. The Oklahoma Republican grapples with two separate questions: should the Fed be independent and should it have a direct role in banking supervision? 

The Trump administration wants to fold the FDIC's bank oversight duties into the OCC without congressional approval. Evan Weinberger, a banking correspondent at Bloomberg Law, details the ramifications for community banks, what's already happening at both agencies, and what may happen next.

Victoria Guida of Politico and Brendan Pedersen of Punchbowl News sort through how and why the Trump administration is remaking banking regulation. Is the CFPB neutered for the next four years or maybe forever? Will the OCC take over the FDIC's exam functions? Why did big bank CEOs meet with the Senate Banking Committee? What's DOGE up to at Treasury?

Greg Baer, the CEO of the Bank Policy Institute, argues that bank supervision has gone off course, focusing on the wrong areas and making the system less safe.   He outlines how he and big banks would recommend fixing it. He also discusses stress test and AML reform, new liquidity rules, Basel III, CFPB and more.

Former Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., one of the first lawmakers to sound alarms about the debanking of crypto firms , talks about President Trump's accusation that large banks are systemically debanking conservatives, and what he thinks is really going on. That includes how policymakers could fix the issue permanently and why some proposed solutions might backfire. 

Rep. Maxine Waters, lead Democrat on House Financial Services, discusses how the committee and Congress have changed in her long tenure, her relationship with Chair French Hill, and the importance of community banks. She also unveils the Democratic agenda for this Congress, including housing reform, stablecoin regulation and more.

Brad Bolton, the CEO of Community Spirit Bank in Red Bay, Ala., discusses the state of community banking right now, including what challenges he and other small institutions face and how they hope policymakers can help. He dives into concerns about new small business lending data requirements and other pending regulations, calls for bank consolidation, and what worries him most.

Michael Barr's surprising decision to step down as Fed vice chair of banking supervision next month allows the incoming Trump administration to make its own pick for the job and raises questions about the political independence of the banking regulators going forward. Andrew Ackerman, senior financial reporter with  The Washington Post , walks through the implications for banks and discusses Barr'...

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu talks about his three-plus years at the forefront of bank regulation, including what regulators learned from the fall of SVB, why we still need new Basel capital rules, and whether regulatory restructuring would be worth the effort.

Evan Weinberger, the banking reporter at Bloomberg Law, talks about the Trump administration's trial balloon to eliminate the FDIC or combine regulatory agencies. He also goes in-depth on the various fights the CFPB is engaged in, how the Trump administration could choose to tackle them, and what that would mean for banks.

Alex Johnson, the founder and publisher of Fintech Takes, tackles several hot-button topics, including how the crypto industry's election victories will influence the next Trump administration, and why hype around stablecoins as a replacement for banks may be misplaced. He also discusses whether banks are really engaging in debanking as a prominent venture capitalist recently claimed. 

Sam Sutton, the primary author of Politico's Morning Money newsletter, goes behind the scenes on why President-elect Trump chose Scott Bessent to lead the Treasury Department. Sutton discusses Bessent's experience and agenda, how his views on tariffs and inflation will play out in the next administration, and how they portend a potential brewing conflict with the Federal Reserve.

Rep. French Hill, a top contender to lead the House Financial Services Committee, details his plan to help banks, including revamping regulators' approach to M&A, ending Operation Choke Point, and encouraging more de novos. He also discusses his views on Scott Bessent, President-elect Trump's nominee for Treasury secretary, the mood among GOP lawmakers, how the government can confront fraud at ban...

Lindsey Johnson, CEO and president of the Consumer Bankers Association, talks about how the CFPB may change under the second Trump administration. Will a Trump-appointed CFPB director roll back the recently finalized open data rule? What happens for banks and consumers if that rule is left to stand? She also tackles the future of the agency's overdraft proposal and small business lending rule. 

With Republicans set to control the White House, Senate, and House next year, Victoria Guida of Politico and Brendan Pedersen of Punchbowl News dive into the implications for financial services companies. That includes what it means for the Fed, including whether President-elect Trump might try to oust Chair Jerome Powell, and what kinds of leaders will take the reins of the Congressional banking...

The rise of generative AI agents have promised consumers a better, safer future. But what happens if those agents act in ways that destabilize the system, causing bank runs or better enable bad actors to commit fraud or hack financial institutions? Todd Phillips, assistant professor at Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business, talks about his new paper looking into how AI could wrea...

Kate Berry, a reporter for American Banker, and Christopher Williston, the CEO of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, go in-depth to discuss the CFPB's final Section 1033 rule, which implements open banking. They tackle which institutions are most at risk from the final rule, why trade groups are suing to block it, and how the CFPB is responding to bank fears it will spur more fraud.