Podcasts

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.

John Heltman, Washington Bureau Chief of American Banker, talks about federal regulators’ pending proposal to raise capital on banks with more than $100 billion of assets. He tackles how that fits into the overall Basel capital plan, how banks and Republicans are planning to fight back, and what kind of impact it could have on bank lending.

Tim Wennes, the CEO of Santander US, talks about the future of regional banks, including the potential for higher capital requirements and a possible credit crunch. He also weighs in on fears around commercial real estate, why the bank is expanding its auto lending business, and how it is targeting the next generation of bank customers.

Last week saw a remarkable number of Capitol Hill hearings on the bank policy front, with multiple sessions featuring top bank regulators and the former chief executives of three failed banks. Claire Williams and Kyle Campbell, reporters with American Banker, offer their takeaways and remaining questions from these hearings, including what comes next from lawmakers and regulators.

Lindsey Johnson, who started last summer as the head of the Consumer Bankers Association, discusses how policymakers are reacting to the recent banking turmoil, why the CFPB’s credit card late fee proposal will harm consumers, and whether regulators will allow more M&A.

Greg Baer, the president and CEO of the Bank Policy Institute, takes issue with claims that S. 2155 played a role in the collapse of three regional banks. He also tackles what areas policymakers should look at, whether Congress is likely to enact any legislative changes directed at banks, and why the CFPB is off base when it comes to its proposal targeting credit card late fees.

John Blizzard, CEO of Seattle Bank, talks about his experiences after the recent regional bank failures and the lack of concern by customers. He also discusses the nationwide launch of CD Valet, which allows consumers unbiased access to the best CD interest rates.

John Heltman, Washington Bureau Chief of American Banker, tackles the many policy questions resulting from the failure of First Republic Bank. He also discusses three regulatory reports examining two failures in March—and another report detailing how the FDIC wants to revamp deposit insurance.

Mark Calabria, the former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, offers his take on recent criticisms that the Federal Home Loan Banks have gone too far outside their mission—and what he would do to address them.

Claire Williams, the Capitol Hill reporter for American Banker and Brendan Pedersen, the banking reporter for PunchBowl News, offer their takeaways from back-to-back hearings on the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. They discuss what lawmakers were focused on and how regulators responded as well as preview potential regulatory and legislative changes ahead.

Mark Calabria, former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and author of the new book Shelter from the Storm, talks about why he resisted calls to bailout mortgage servicers during the pandemic, and how he knew their predictions of another mortgage crisis were overblown.

Mark Calabria, former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and author of the new book Shelter from the Storm, talks about why he resisted calls to bailout mortgage servicers during the pandemic, and how he knew their predictions of another mortgage crisis were overblown.