A bill to end private lenders' role in government guaranteed student lending — assumed to be on its way to quick enactment — has suddenly become a hotly contested debate.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd's decision to try to negotiate a bipartisan regulatory reform deal with Republican Sen. Bob Corker was a mistake.

The Securities and Exchange Commission said it would decide in 2011 if it would adopt international standards, but that adoption would not come before 2015.

The top Republican tax-writer in the Senate yesterday warned colleagues that provisions in the House-passed jobs bill that offer high subsidy rates for Build America Bond-type programs would allow Wall Street banks to pocket more in underwriting fees.

After years out of the spotlight due to the financial crisis, anti-money-laundering issues returned to Capitol Hill on Wednesday as lawmakers raised renewed concerns about the supervision of money-services businesses.

A total of four sessions at the conference were focused on regulations and fiduciary responsibility and speculation swirled about who would be affected and how.

The Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board is expected to file long-awaited rule changes with the Securities and Exchange Commission that would implement the final phase of its transparency system for auction-rate securities and variable-rate demand obligations.

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said Tuesday that he continues to hope for a strong bipartisan regulatory reform bill, but he offered no fresh details on developments in negotiations.

Tarp warrants could spawn a new source of funds for banks

Bank regulators issued 1,143 formal enforcement actions against banks and their holding companies last year, a new record and more than double the 2008 tally.

Money market funds are welcoming the Federal Reserve’s offer to buy an estimated $1 trillion in reverse repos, as the economy continues to rebound and the government looks to reduce the $2 trillion it pumped into the capital markets.

Capital Fulfillment Group has debuted ClickOne, a summary prospectus tool in compliance with Securities and Exchange Commission rules. Using patented technologies, it is designed to offer a simple and cost-effective way for mutual fund companies to equip investors with summary prospectuses via print-on-demand. CFG estimates this will reduce asset management firms' printing costs by 80%.

But the Regions wealth management unit refuses to roll over.

House Counsel: 28% Rate Unlikely

House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank urged four of the nation's top banks to adopt principal writedowns on second-lien mortgages to allow borrowers to keep their homes.

Congress suspended the required minimum distributions for IRA, 401(k) and other retirement plan investors age 70-1/2 last year, since people’s balances took such a hit the year before and many wanted to remain invested in hopes of a rebound. As the market has, indeed, rebounded nicely, Congress is likely to reinstate the RMDs this year, experts say.

While many workers in this time of economic instability and rampant layoffs are afraid to rock the boat by questioning their employers' decisions, recent lawsuits over high 401(k) fees have empowered some workers to ask their employers to offer lower-cost choices.

Says Banks Will 'Skim the Cream’

A little-noticed provision tucked into regulatory reform legislation by the Treasury Department is causing a furor among large institutions, which say it would effectively ban all derivative transactions between banks and their affiliates.

As the Senate Banking Committee considers reform of the nation’s financial regulatory system, the American Insurance Association is seeking to amplify the distinctions between insurers and other financial services firms.