Two journalists who have covered the CFPB for years grapple with the bewildering array of questions stemming from the recent federal appeals court ruling that said the agency’s funding is unconstitutional. What happens if the Supreme Court upholds the ruling? And how long will it take for the issue to be resolved?

Emily Flitter, a senior banking reporter for the New York Times and author of The White Wall: How Big Finance Bankrupts Black America, discusses why she decided to write the book, what she uncovered, and how discrimination continues to be a formidable challenge.

Two experts on banking and politics – Cam Fine, the former CEO of the Independent Community Bankers of America and Ed Yingling, the former CEO of the American Bankers Association – talk about how the different election outcomes will affect the industry. That includes a look at what legislation is likely to pass if the GOP seizes the House and Senate, and what agencies and rules Republicans will target.

Matt Pieniazek, president and CEO of Darling Consulting Group, talks about what banks are doing right—and wrong—as they adjust their balance sheets to the Fed’s unprecedented recent rate hikes. He warns of the most common mistakes banks are making, and how to fix them.

Howard Headlee, the president and CEO of the Utah Bankers Association, takes issue with some bankers’ concern that industrial bank applications by Ford and Rakuten will blur the lines between banking and commerce. He also sharply criticizes banks that sell to credit unions and predicts there will be a legal battle over CRA reform.

Corey LeBlanc, cofounder, chief operating officer and chief technology officer of Locality Bank in Florida, talks about how he and his partners got through the notoriously difficult regulatory process to charter a de novo institution. Why did they succeed where so many others have not? He also talks about what Locality Bank is doing differently than other institutions, including its approach to fintech partnerships.

Alex Marsh, head of global policy at Klarna, talks about the company’s response to the CFPB report last week that called for buy-now, pay-later firms to be regulated and examined like credit cards. He also discusses the growth of the sector, including the recent drop in valuations for BNPL firms, and where he sees it going next.

Darrin Williams, the CEO of Southern Bancorp. in Arkansas, talks about how a huge capital infusion from the Treasury Department’s Emergency Capital Investment Program is changing his bank and how similar infusions are impacting fellow community development financial institutions.

Lauren Anderson, senior vice president at the Bank Policy Institute, discusses the various approaches regulators are taking, both internationally and in the U.S., to banks and climate change—and how institutions are responding. That includes blowback to the SEC’s proposed climate disclosure standards and new climate guidelines from the FDIC and OCC. 

Karen Thomas, the former senior executive vice president of government relations and public policy at the Independent Community Bankers of America, talks about how the political influence of community banks has changed in the past two decades—and the biggest policy challenges facing them now. Those include closing the ILC loophole, CBDCs, and more.