Banking with Interest

Zeke Faux, an investigative reporter for Bloomberg and the author of “Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall,” goes behind the scenes on Sam Bankman Fried’s conviction last week, including his interviews with the former FTX leader and what it means for the industry at large.

Christina Skinner, assistant professor at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, talks about why a potential U.S. central bank digital currency “opens a Pandora’s Box” of questions about the role of the Fed and could pose a grave threat to banks.

Ebrima Sanneh, who covers the federal banking agencies for the American Banker, breaks down the final rule setting out new standards under the Community Reinvestment Act. He tackles how the rule changed from the proposal, the new standards for community banks, and how the industry is likely to react.

Now that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau appears likely to survive a Supreme Court challenge, will the agency be emboldened to push its powers further? Or will it be reined in by other forces? Evan Weinberger, who covers the CFPB for Bloomberg Law, analyzes the latest intel.

Steve Scurlock, the head of government relations at the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, talks about the “whipsaw” effect on community banks of regulatory changes that rapidly shift with the change of administrations and regulators—and his biggest fears for the future.

Matt Pieniazek, president of Darling Consulting, and Dave Koch, managing director of advisory services with Abrigo, discuss strategies for banks to navigate the challenging deposit market as the Fed nears the end of its rate hike cycle. Will the Fed raise rates again, how long will rates stay high and how best can banks prepare?

Jonathan Gould, partner with Jones Day and a former general counsel of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, makes a case that the federal banking agencies are increasingly pushing the envelope even as courts become more skeptical of their powers. He also discusses the dangers of focusing too much on the safety of individual institutions at the expense of the overall risk to the system. 

Kevin Fromer, president and CEO of the Financial Services Forum, details why the big banks are pushing back vigorously against a new proposal to raise capital at the largest institutions by 20%, arguing it is unnecessary and could cost the U.S. economy at a critical time.

Steven Kelly, associate director of research at the Yale Program on Financial Stability, pushes back on multiple narratives about why SVB failed and what policymakers should do to prevent another collapse like it. He also weighs in on federal regulators’ new capital proposal and the battle over stablecoin regulation.

Aaron Klein, senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, talks about why he is skeptical of the impact of FedNow, the central bank’s instant payment system due to launch this week.