Alex Johnson, founder of Fintech Takes, discusses the CFPB’s race to complete as many regulatory initiatives – on earned wage access products, open data, privacy and more – ahead of the November election. And he talks about why banking as a service has turned into a “high-wire act without a safety net” in the wake of the Synapse bankruptcy.

Rep. French Hill, one of the leading candidates to chair the House Financial Services Committee next year, makes his case for the job, discussing how his former role as a bank CEO would help guide his agenda. He talks about why he’s worked so hard on crypto and stablecoin regulation bills, his vision for housing reform, the lessons of SVB, the end of Chevron deference, and his concerns on bank consolidation.

Hilary Allen, a law professor at American University Washington College of Law, warns that a stablecoin regulation bill could open the door to mixing banking and commerce, allowing WalMart, Amazon or Google to effectively set up their own bank without facing bank-like regulations. She also details issues with the legislation introduced to date, including failures to address critically important issues.

John Heltman and Claire Williams, two journalists with American Banker, discuss the outlet’s recent series on populism and how it impacts banks. They tackle why the banking industry is so often the target of populist politicians from both the left and the right, how populism is changing the debate on various bank policy debates now, and what comes next.

Aaron Klein, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Mark Calabria, former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, debate the best way to address the housing crisis, as well as the dangers of politicizing banking regulation, whether the Fed is too worried about consensus, if the central bank is secretly working on a central bank digital currency and who should play The Sphere next. 

Mark Calabria, former director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and Aaron Klein, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, discuss how politics factors into the Fed’s monetary policy decisions, decry the rescue of uninsured depositors last year, debate how to fix liquidity rules and weigh in on revamping the FHLBs.

Graham Steele, the former Treasury assistant secretary for financial institutions, offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on regulators’ decision to rescue uninsured depositors at Silicon Valley Bank and two other regional banks. He also discusses what policy changes are still needed as a result, the greatest challenge facing the banking industry, and why he’s worried about a “catastrophic” cybersecurity event.

One year after the fall of Silicon Valley Bank, the reverberations into banking policy continue. Brian Gardner, Chief Washington Policy Strategist at investment bank Stifel, discusses how the failure impacted bank supervision and the debate over new capital and liquidity rules—and how it will remain a part of the calculus moving forward.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer talks about his fears for the future of small banks—and how to reverse course—and why his movement to ban the Fed from creating a CBDC has gained steam. He also tackles his predictions for the House elections this year, the CFPB’s push against so-called “junk” fees and how he became one of the leading advocates for cryptocurrency in Congress.

Richard Hunt, executive chair of the Electronic Payments Coalition, talks about the battle over Capital One buying Discover, how it connects to the Durbin amendment’s restrictions on debit interchange fees, and why the fight over another Durbin legislative proposal on credit cards is so heated.

Neil Stanley, CEO of the CorePoint, offers strategies and products banks can use to attract and retain deposits in a highly competitive deposit environment.

The former Kansas City Fed president talks about the persistence of inflation, when the central bank is likely to lower interest rates, how worried she is about office CRE, the lessons from the failures of three regional banks last year, whether she supports a central bank digital currency, and the future of community banks.

Claire Williams, Capitol Hill reporter for American Banker, and Brendan Pedersen, who covers financial services for Punchbowl News, discuss the latest on financial policy. Will Christy Romero Goldsmith be confirmed to lead the FDIC? Is Basel III Endgame dead? How could Sen. J.D. Vance as vice president impact bank policy going forward?

After a prominent regional bank slashed its dividend amid unexpected losses related to office commercial real estate loans, some in the media are raising fears that another round of failures could be in the offing. Jaret Seiberg, managing director of Cowen’s Washington Research Group, details what happened, how regulators are responding, and whether it’s a sign of more trouble or a one-off event.

Kate Berry, who covers the CFPB for American Banker, goes behind the scenes on the consumer agency’s latest proposals to limit overdraft fees and institute new limits around nonsufficient funds transactions.

Naomi Snyder, editor-in-chief of Bank Director, discusses why the bank M&A market was so bad in 2023, and what changes need to happen for it to improve.

John Pitts, head of policy for Plaid, argues a new CFPB open-data proposal could transform the financial services industry. He says bankers, many of whom are skeptical of the plan, could see significant opportunities, including a greater ability to attract new customers.

Greg Baer, CEO of the Bank Policy Institute, makes the case that regulators did not follow the law when they proposed new capital standards for the biggest banks by failing to provide adequate analysis and data. He details what he believes is missing and why he’s confident a final rule will be substantially different.

Derek Williams, chairman of ICBA and President and CEO of Century Bank & Trust in Milledgeville, Georgia, talks about the challenges and opportunities for community banks as they head into a new year, including how he sees economic issues and policy debates playing out.

As AI becomes more prevalent, what are the risks to banks and consumers, particularly as software can now allow fraudsters to imitate a person's voice? Emily Flitter, reporter for the New York Times, talks about the growing threat from AI on financial security, how it is already changing lending and what policymakers can do to address it.

Cornelius Hurley, professor at Boston University School of Law, breaks down the recent FHFA report calling for sweeping changes to the Home Loan Bank system. He discusses why it’s important to refocus the banks on mission and how the debates over the report’s finding will play out in future rulemakings and legislation.

Randal Quarles, the former Fed vice chair, details how the new Basel III capital proposal could hurt the economy, casts doubt on the legality of the Fed’s stress tests, and pushes back on criticism that his actions helped cause the failure of three regional banks earlier this spring.  He also talks about his biggest concerns in the financial system right now, where interest rates are likely to go from here and his fears about the current power dynamics at the Fed.

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.

Phil Mobley, national director of office analytics for CoStar, the leading firm when it comes to commercial real estate, talks about how the market has changed in the wake of the pandemic. He discusses the trends right now, where the market is headed, and what risk office CRE poses to banks.

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.

Sean Tuffy, former head of market and regulatory intelligence at Citigroup, talks about how the changing dynamics at Twitter may impact bank policy and media narratives. He also discusses crypto and stablecoin legislation, money market mutual fund reform, and the lessons of Silicon Valley Bank’s failure.

Pete Schroeder, who covers financial regulation and policy for Reuters, breaks down why federal banking agencies are split on how to finalize new capital rules and explains how policymakers are reacting to a nominee for FDIC chair.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

Richard Hunt, the former head of the Consumer Bankers Association, and Jaret Seiberg, managing director of Washington Research Group with TD Cowen, return to the show to discuss the post-SVB bank policy world. Is the crisis over? Will Congress enact new legislation and what will it target? What banks are now considered too big to fail?

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.

Frank Abagnale Jr., an expert on check forgery and the subject and inspiration for Steven Spielberg’s film “Catch Me If You Can,” talks about why check fraud is so much worse in recent years despite the overall decline of use of checks. He talks about why banks are struggling to detect forgeries, how policymakers should address the issue, and why the problem is poised to become even more dire.

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.

Emily Flitter, finance reporter for the New York Times, tackles the big questions stemming from the extraordinary actions taken by regulators on Sunday. Is this a bailout? Is there another banking crisis in the offing? What are the potential costs to banks? Will they face Dodd-Frank 2.0?

Victoria Guida, economic policy reporter for Politico, dives into what Fed officials are trying to tell markets—and why markets don’t always appear to be taking the hint. She also tackles the latest names up to be the new Fed vice chair and whether Treasury secretly wants to create a central bank digital currency.

Bankers nationwide are experiencing heightened competition for deposits as consumers increasingly recognize their ability to shop for the best rate. Neil Stanley, founder and CEO of The CorePoint, discusses the best strategies banks can use to keep their existing deposits and attract new ones.