Congress May Flip. What Actually Changes for Banks?

Cam Fine, former head of ICBA, and Ed Yingling, former head of ABA, break down what different midterm election outcomes could actually mean for banks, from congressional oversight and agency confirmations to crypto, the CFPB and regulatory relief. They also examine whether the Trump administration's bank regulatory changes can endure as control of Congress — and eventually the White House — changes hands.

The OCC and FDIC, but not the Fed, have released a new proposal to rework implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act. Is this one liable to stick when the past two have not? Jesse Van Tol, president of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, offers his take, including why he sees this latest effort as deeply flawed because it will weaken community-development obligations for banks nationwide.

ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey discusses the failed Senate vote on crypto market structure legislation, community bank concerns about stablecoin yield, and the broader fight over who gets to compete for deposits under what rules. She also weighs in on how AI could help and hurt institutions, core providers, novel charters, CRA reform and the competitive pressures shaping the future of community banking.

Community banks have more room to compete for deposits following a new law that changes how reciprocal deposits are treated. Drew Keith of Texas Security Bank, Matt Nightingale of Katahdin Trust, and Kevin King of Saint Louis Bank discuss how it changes their funding options, why reciprocal deposits proved critical after Silicon Valley Bank failed, and what the change means as competition for deposits heats up.

Former Treasury undersecretary Jonathan McKernan explains why the department took a more active role coordinating bank regulation and what officials hoped to accomplish with a broader regulatory reset. He also discusses lessons from the 2023 bank failures, changes to capital, liquidity and AML rules, and how AI could reshape deposit competition and the banking system itself.

Brendan Pedersen, financial services reporter for Punchbowl News, breaks down why the CLARITY Act's prospects have deteriorated, including a renewed revolt by community banks over stablecoin yield and growing Democratic resistance to the crypto industry. He also discusses whether crypto's political clout is beginning to fade and a potential challenge to Maxine Waters for leadership of the House Financial Services Committee.

Penny Crosman, American Banker's executive editor for technology, discusses why some banks dominate AI-generated answers while others are nearly invisible, including tackling what community banks can do to improve their visibility.   

Over the past year and a half, Acting CFPB Russell Vought has sought to largely shut down the CFPB by severely cutting staff, stopping enforcement actions and cutting back on supervision. But with the nomination of a new director, Brian Johnson, is that about to change? Alan Kaplinsky, senior counsel at Ballard Spahr and author of the Consumer Finance Monitor blog and host of its weekly podcast, discusses how the CFPB may change and what it will mean for banks. 

Lindsey Johnson, president and CEO of the Consumer Bankers Association, talks about why affordability concerns are putting renewed political pressure on banks over credit card rates, overdraft and late fees. She also tackles the future of the CFPB, open banking, crypto legislation, agentic AI and why she's optimistic in the fight against fraud.

Brian Gardner, chief Washington policy strategist at Stifel, tackles how durable the Trump administration's fast-moving regulatory and other changes are likely to be for banks. He discusses what banks still misunderstand about Washington, why the M&A environment is improving, what Kevin Warsh's first press conference signaled, and what the midterm elections could mean for bank regulation if Democrats win back one chamber or both.