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Under the "stress test" exercise, the Fed tests big banks' balance sheets against a hypothetical severe economic downturn, the elements of which change annually. WHY DOES THE FED 'STRESS TEST' BANKS? It announces the size of each bank's stress capital buffer in the subsequent months. For example, the 2022 stress test envisioned a 5.8 percentage point jump in unemployment under a "severely adverse" scenario. This extra test will not count towards banks' capital requirements but will allow the Fed to explore applying multiple adverse scenarios in future.

Persons: Banks, Wells, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Michael Barr, Pete Schroeder, Michelle Price, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S . Federal, Big, Fed, Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase &, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank's U.S, JPMorgan Citigroup, Wells Fargo & Co, Bank, U.S, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Big U.S, Silicon

☆ Joe Biden’s ‘Malarkey’ Defense of Hunter
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( William Mcgurn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

William McGurn is a member of The Wall Street Journal editorial board and writes the weekly "Main Street" column for the Journal each Tuesday. Previously he served as Chief Speechwriter for President George W. Bush. Mr. McGurn has served as chief editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal in New York. He spent more than a decade overseas -- in Brussels for The Wall Street Journal/Europe and in Hong Kong with both the Asian Wall Street Journal and the Far Eastern Economic Review. Bill is author of a book on Hong Kong ("Perfidious Albion") and a monograph on terrorism ("Terrorist or Freedom Fighter").

Persons: William McGurn, George W, Bush, McGurn, Bill Organizations: Wall Street, The Wall Street, Street Journal, Economic, Washington, National Review, Foreign Relations, Notre Dame, Communications, Boston University Locations: New York, Brussels, Europe, Hong Kong

Under the "stress test" exercise, the Fed tests banks' balance sheets against a hypothetical severe economic downturn, the elements of which change annually. WHY DOES THE FED "STRESS TEST" BANKS? It typically publishes aggregate industry losses, and individual bank losses including details on how specific portfolios - like credit cards or mortgages - fared. It announces the size of each bank's stress capital buffer in the subsequent months. For example, the 2022 stress test envisioned a 5.8 percentage point jump in unemployment under a "severely adverse" scenario.

Persons: Banks, Wells, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Michael Barr, Pete Schroeder, Michelle Price, Andrea Ricci Organizations: U.S . Federal, Fed, Citigroup, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase &, Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank's U.S, JPMorgan Citigroup, Wells Fargo & Co, Bank, U.S, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Silicon

The central bank on Wednesday will release the results of its bank "stress tests" which assess how much capital banks would need to withstand a severe economic downturn. The annual exercise, introduced following the 2007-2009 financial crisis, is integral to banks' capital planning, dictating how much cash they can return to shareholders via dividends and share buybacks. Despite the turmoil, and the exam being the hardest in years, bank analysts and executives expect the 23 lenders being tested will show capital in excess of regulatory minimums. While that will not affect capital, it will be used to assess potentially employing multiple scenarios in future stress test exercises. "In an environment of ever-changing risks, stress tests can quickly lose their relevance if their assumptions and scenarios remain static," said Barr in December.

Persons: Nick Zieminski WASHINGTON, JPMorgan Chase, Goldman, Morgan Stanley, jitters, Wells, Jefferies, Randal Quarles, Michael Barr, Barr, Pete Schroeder, Michelle Price, Deepa Babington Organizations: Citibank, REUTERS, Big U.S, Bank, U.S, Treasury, Citigroup Inc, Bank of America, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Capital, U.S . Bancorp, Citizens, Fed, Bank Policy Institute, RBC, Thomson Locations: Jackson, Queens, New York City, U.S, Big, Silicon, Wells Fargo, Washington

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - The head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said Thursday that bank regulators are considering applying an upcoming set of stricter capital rules to banks with over $100 billion in assets. "If we had any doubt that the failure of banks in this size category can have financial stability consequences, that has been answered by recent experience," he said in prepared remarks. "The lesson to take away is that banks in this size category can pose genuine financial stability risks." He added agencies will propose new capital rules to implement an international bank rule agreement in the near future, but will likely not complete the rules before the middle of 2024. But Gruenberg argued it was critical, particularly in the wake of the spring bank failures, for regulators to get tougher rules in place.

Persons: Martin Gruenberg, Gruenberg, Pete Schroeder, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Thomson Locations: Basel, U.S

Bank regulators led by the U.S. Federal Reserve are finalizing the proposal which would implement international capital standards agreed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision in the aftermath of the 2007-2009 financial crisis. On Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell told Congress it was critical banks have strong capital, but regulators must be mindful of the tradeoffs. Republican officials at the agencies have flagged similar concerns, two people said, while Republican lawmakers on Wednesday also raised worries over capital rules with Powell. The Fed is drafting the Basel rules with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). Speaking to reporters last week, acting Comptroller Michael Hsu said banks had "not been shy about sharing their concerns" which regulators were taking into account.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Andrew Kelly, Jerome Powell, Michael Barr, Isaac Boltansky, jitters, Powell, “, Kevin Fromer, It's, Michael Hsu, Pete Schroeder, Niket Nishant, Lananh Nguyen, Tatiana Bautzer, Michelle Price, David Gregorio Organizations: New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Bank, U.S . Federal, Banking, Bankers, Committee, American Express, U.S, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, Washington, Bank Policy Institute, WALL, Fed, Industry, Republican, Financial Services, Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Regulators, FDIC, OCC, Thomson Locations: Manhattan , New York City, U.S, Basel, Silicon

Dara Treseder, chief marketing officer, AutodeskDara Treseder, the chief marketing officer at Autodesk. Autodesk is a software company that makes products architects and engineers often use, but its name isn't well-known beyond the professionals that rely on its tools. Within 30 days of joining the company, Treseder worked with Ryan Reynolds' agency, Maximum Effort, to launch the company's first TV ad in over ten years. The company's next TV-related success was the "Otto Desć" campaign during the 2023 Oscars, which got over 25 million views. Treseder worked with the French government to launch a campaign on the Autodesk website to make sure consumers knew of Autodesk's contribution.

Persons: Dara Treseder, Autodesk Dara Treseder, —, Treseder, she's, Ryan Reynolds, Otto Desć, influencers Organizations: Autodesk, Autodesk —, Notre Dame Cathedral

WASHINGTON, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday said it is critical that banks have high levels of capital, but regulators must be mindful of the tradeoffs in ordering large reserves. Powell told the House Financial Services Committee that the Fed is considering multiple proposals on bank oversight, and struck a balanced tone on new capital requirements, saying healthy cushions are of "central importance," particularly for the largest global banks. We want banks to be able to lend in good and bad times," he said. Powell said the Fed has a "significant number of proposals in the works" on bank oversight, but none have been finalized or brought to the board for a vote yet. He also noted that higher capital requirements do come with tradeoffs, and the Fed will have to strike a balance between higher capital and how it could hinder bank lending.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, Pete Schroeder, Mark Porter, Andrea Ricci Organizations: . Federal, Financial Services Committee, Fed, Thomson

[1/2] A U.S. flag flies outside a branch of the Silicon Valley Bank in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., March 13, 2023. REUTERS/Brian SnyderWASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department antitrust division plans to expand the scope of its bank merger review process, the department's chief said on Tuesday, in a sign the agency may get tougher when scrutinizing such deals. The comments are likely to disappoint the industry, which had been hoping Democratic President Joe Biden's administration would be more open to allowing deals after a spate of bank failures since March. Specifically, Kanter said any merger review for antitrust purposes must go beyond traditional factors like the impact on local depositors and branches, and consider a broader set of issues. "We believe this policy change will not be as negative for bank mergers as it may first appear," he added.

Persons: Brian Snyder WASHINGTON, Jonathan Kanter, Joe Biden's, Kanter, Biden, Isaac Boltansky, Cowen, Jaret Seiberg, Pete Schroeder, Deepa Babington, Michelle Price Organizations: Bank, REUTERS, U.S . Justice Department, Brookings Institution, Democratic, Justice Department, Silicon Valley Bank, DOJ, Thomson Locations: U.S, Wellesley , Massachusetts, Silicon

REUTERS/Brian SnyderWASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division on Tuesday urged the government to update bank merger guidelines to reflect "current market realities," in a sign authorities are likely to cast a wider net in scrutinizing deals in the sector. “There are good reasons ... to question whether the 1995 guidance sufficiently reflects current market realities," he said in a speech at the Brookings Institution, a think tank. "What we're saying is market realities have shifted, and when we apply the law, we have an obligation to ensure we are addressing the world as it exists today." President Joe Biden signed an executive order in 2021 directing the Justice Department to work with bank regulators to update merger guidelines and heighten scrutiny of deals. In his remarks, Kanter said he was focused on the antitrust implications of any bank mergers, and that broader factors were best left to the primary bank regulators to consider.

Persons: Brian Snyder WASHINGTON, Jonathan Kanter, Biden, Kanter's, Kanter, hasn't, Joe Biden, Pete Schroeder, Deepa Babington Organizations: Bank, REUTERS, U.S . Justice, Brookings Institution, Department, Justice Department, Silicon Valley Bank, Thomson Locations: U.S, Wellesley , Massachusetts, Silicon

☆ AI drive-thrus may be good for business. But not for the rest of us
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-17 | by ( Danielle Wiener-Bronner | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New AI technology at the drive-thru at a Carl's Jr. location. In real-world situations, reactions to AI drive-thrus are still mixed. “We expect AI to augment the competitive advantages of restaurants with digital culture.”Short-staffed restaurants may see AI as a way to fill in the gaps. “There aren’t enough at-scale examples of voice AI in action, especially in this use case,” to say that people would prefer AI to an employee, said McAllister. By the time those examples exist, AI in drive-thrus may already be the norm.

Persons: CKE, Carl’s Jr, Wendy’s, Joel Angel Juarez, it’s, ” Thomas Kurian, ”, Christina McAllister, Forrester, upsells, Krishna Gupta, Presto, “, Todd Penegor, Penegor, Yong Suk Lee, “ it’s, Brandon Bell, McAllister Organizations: New, New York CNN, Google, USA, Wall Street, Indiana White, Wall Street Journal, Presto Automation, CKE, Presto, Presto Voice, University of Notre Dame, Intouch Locations: New York, White, Wendy’s, Columbus , Ohio, The Republic

WASHINGTON, June 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Banking Committee will consider a bill Wednesday that would allow regulators to claw back compensation for executives at failed banks. The bill, which also would require banks to include in their bylaws standards around responsible bank management, comes in response to the abrupt failures of Silicon Valley Bank and other banks in recent months, which set off broader turmoil in the banking sector. "Americans have watched executives take their money, run banks into the ground, and get away with it too many times before. It’s time for CEOs to face consequences for their actions, just like everyone else," said Brown in a statement. Reporting by Pete Schroeder, editing by Deepa BabingtonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sherrod Brown, Tim Scott, Brown, Pete Schroeder, Deepa Babington Organizations: U.S . Senate, Republican, Valley Bank, Thomson

☆ L.A. Dodgers Whiff on the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( William Mcgurn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - A key House Republican lawmaker said Tuesday that he intends to hold a committee vote on a comprehensive bill to establish a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency products in the coming weeks. Representative Patrick McHenry, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, said he expects to put a bill forward for the panel to consider after lawmakers return to work on July 11. McHenry has been leading an effort by some Republicans in Congress to pass a bill establishing clear rules for the crypto industry. Democrats on the panel say they are considering the measure but have concerns. And in the Senate, which must also pass any crypto legislation, key lawmakers like Senators Sherrod Brown and Elizabeth Warren have expressed even more skepticism about crypto products.

Persons: Patrick McHenry, McHenry, Maxine Waters, Sherrod Brown, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Schroeder Organizations: Republican, Financial Services, Securities and Exchange Commission, Thomson

☆ Opinion | Why These Six Americans Moved Away from Organized Religion
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Jessica Grose | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“Nones” — the term of art for those who say they have no particular religious affiliation — is an unsatisfying label. I’m not the first to notice that it sounds like “nuns” when said aloud, and that, as a result, it can confuse people who aren’t steeped in sociological jargon. But more crucially, “nones” obscures the diversity of backgrounds and beliefs among the millions of Americans who fall into this very broad category. Previously, nones had been defined by what they aren’t — adherents to a religious tradition — rather than who they are or what they believe. “They haven’t really thought about truth, meaning, etc.,” he said.

Persons: “, I’m, ”, nones, David Campbell, Geoffrey Layman, John Green, Campbell, religionists, Secularists “ Organizations: Notre Dame

[1/2] U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses during a group portrait at the Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Evelyn HocksteinWASHINGTON, June 7 (Reuters) - Conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, under scrutiny following revelations that he did not disclose luxury trips paid for by a billionaire Dallas businessman, has received an extension to file his mandatory annual financial disclosure, the court said on Wednesday. Some congressional Democrats have proposed imposing new ethics standards on the Supreme Court following reporting on conduct by some of the justices, in particular Thomas. Supreme Court justices are not bound like other federal judges by a code of conduct that includes avoidance even of the "appearance of impropriety." The three conservative justices appointed by former President Donald Trump drew additional income as law professors.

Persons: Clarence Thomas, Evelyn Hockstein WASHINGTON, Samuel Alito, Thomas, Harlan Crow, Crow, Frederick Douglass, Neil Gorsuch, Ketanji Brown Jackson, Jackson, Oprah Winfrey, Sonia Sotomayor, Sotomayor, John Roberts, Donald Trump, Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, George Mason University's Antonin Scalia, Amy Coney Barrett, Roberts, Andrew Chung, John Kruzel, Will Dunham Organizations: U.S, Supreme, REUTERS, Conservative U.S, Judicial Conference, Politico, Liberal, Vogue, Random, Charter Communications, Texas, University of Notre Dame Law School, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Dallas, Crow, Colorado, New York, Washington

☆ Oklahoma approves first publicly funded Catholic school in US
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Brad Brooks | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

June 5 (Reuters) - An Oklahoma school board on Monday approved the Catholic Church's application to create the first taxpayer-funded religious charter school in the U.S. Oklahoma's Statewide Virtual Charter School Board approved the plan to create the St. Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School in a 3-2 vote. Charter schools are publicly funded, independently run schools established under the terms of a charter with a local or national authority. The school would cost Oklahoma taxpayers up to $25.7 million over its first five years of operation, its organizers said. The law school at the University of Notre Dame, a Catholic institution in Indiana, helped with the application.

Persons: Isidore of, Isidore, Brad Brooks, David Gregorio Our Organizations: U.S, Charter School Board, Isidore of Seville Catholic Virtual School, Roman, Supreme, Catholic Archdiocese of, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, University of Notre Dame, Thomson Locations: An Oklahoma, Isidore of Seville, Maine and Montana, Oklahoma, Catholic Archdiocese of Oklahoma, Indiana, Lubbock , Texas

☆ These Activists Distrust Voting Machines. Just Don’t Call Them Election Deniers.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( Stuart A. Thompson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Ms. Friesdat and other activists like her fear that their work may become too closely tied to conspiracy theorists and Mr. Trump’s cause, making potential allies, like progressives, wary of joining the fight. “You sow a seed of doubt, and that will grow and fester into a conspiracy theory,” said Tim Weninger, a computer science professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies misinformation on social media. It is now happening in New York, where officials are considering certifying new voting machines made by Election Systems & Software, a manufacturer based in Omaha. The company has been targeted in Mr. Trump’s voting fraud narrative, alongside competitors like Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic. Yet, ES&S and its machines have also come under scrutiny by election activists and security experts.

Persons: Friesdat, ” Ms, ”, Tim Weninger Organizations: University of Notre Dame, Election Systems, Software, Mr, Dominion Voting Systems Locations: New York, Omaha

WASHINGTON, June 2 (Reuters) - The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced Friday it had dismissed 42 pending enforcement cases after discovering enforcement staff had improper access to materials meant for commission officials ruling on those cases. The enforcement and in-house ruling arms of the SEC are supposed to be kept completely separate from each other regarding such matters. It added that in most cases, the problematic materials were not uploaded to enforcement staff until after a decision had been handed down. An internal SEC review found that there was no evidence that the improper access had any effect on decisions made by either enforcement staff or officials reviewing those cases, according to SEC officials. Nonetheless, the agency decided to dismiss all pending cases, primarily against individuals and smaller firms, who were impacted by the improper access.

Persons: Pete Schroeder, Chizu Nomiyama, Diane Craft Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Thomson

WASHINGTON, May 31 (Reuters) - U.S. banks saw total deposits decline by a record 2.5% in the first quarter of 2023, and industry-wide profits were relatively flat after taking into account the effects of two large bank failures, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation said Wednesday. The FDIC said the $472 billion in deposit outflows in the first quarter was the largest it had recorded since it began collecting such data in 1984. The decline was primarily from uninsured funds, as insured deposits actually rose $255.1 billion, or 2.5%, amid the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. The decline in deposits was offset by increased wholesale funding, which rose 14.4% in the first quarter. The results showed banks shrinking the amount of unrealized losses on their books and maintaining strong capital ratios.

Persons: Martin Gruenberg, Gruenberg, Pete Schroeder, Sinead Carew, Nick Zieminski Organizations: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, FDIC, Valley Bank, Signature Bank, First Republic Bank, Comerica, Citizens, Thomson

☆ The Empire of Racial Preferences Strikes Back
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( William Mcgurn | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Senator Elizabeth Warren is questioning federal bank regulators on their decision to sell First Republic Bank to the nation's largest bank, JP Morgan Chase. In a letter sent to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Wednesday, Warren said the deal was "deeply troubling," and sought details on how the agencies decided to arrange that particular sale, allowing JPM to grow even larger. This is a troubling outcome, leaving me with numerous questions," she wrote. The FDIC announced this month it had seized First Republic and sold it to JPM in a deal that it estimated would cost its deposit insurance fund $13 billion. Warren also pressed the matter with Michael Hsu, the acting Comptroller of the Currency, at a hearing Thursday.

☆ A new CEO won’t fix Twitter’s biggest problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —During his six months as Twitter’s CEO and owner, Elon Musk decimated its ad business, alienated some news publications and VIP users, and plunged the platform into a constant state of chaos. But she may struggle to address Twitter’s biggest problem: Elon Musk. On Tuesday, Musk said he “didn’t care” if his controversial tweets drew the ire of Twitter advertisers or Tesla shareholders. She may struggle to undo the damage Elon Musk has done to the company's ad business. That could only add to the difficulty Yaccarino will face in shoring up Twitter’s business.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - Top U.S. banking regulators plan to tell lawmakers the government will be open to future bank mergers, but are committed to establishing tougher rules after recent turmoil. Barr maintained his commitment to overhauling bank rules to ensure firms do not escape stricter oversight because they are smaller or viewed as less risky. "The prudential regulation and supervision of these institutions merits additional attention, particularly with respect to capital, liquidity, and interest rate risk," he said in prepared testimony. While vowing to draft tougher rules, the agencies have also been criticized for not identifying and preventing weaknesses before the lenders failed. In prepared testimony, he said rapid interest rate increases and social media-fueled rumors drove the "unprecedented" bank run that sank his firm.

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuters) - A U.S. banking regulator plans to tell lawmakers his agency is "open-minded" when it comes to potential bank mergers and would act on any proposed deal in a timely fashion. Recent turmoil has added "urgency" to the OCC's work on updating bank merger guidelines, Hsu said. Tuesday's hearing will be the first for regulators since the FDIC agreed to sell failed First Republic Bank to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) this month. Watchdogs have been under intense scrutiny after the collapses of SVB and Signature set off fears of contagion. In prepared testimony, he said rapid interest rate increases and social media-fueled rumors drove the "unprecedented" bank run that sank his firm.

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