Banking with Interest

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 the CFPB, what Fed Gov. Michelle Bowman's nomination as vice chair for banking supervision means for community banks and more.

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.