Banking with Interest

Jason Mikula, author of Fintech Business Weekly, examines the OCC's recent debanking report, why the term has become so politicized, and where banks' responsibility to manage risk collides with customers' access to financial services. He also discusses the potential impact of AI agents on bank deposits and warns that some bank-fintech partnerships still face the same recordkeeping problems exposed by the Synapse collapse.

Brent McIntosh, Citigroup's chief legal officer and corporate secretary, discusses how one of the world's largest banks is deploying AI, from everyday employee tools to agentic systems used in compliance and fraud prevention. He also talks about how AI could transform anti-money laundering efforts and cybersecurity, the risks of giving AI agents real authority, and why banks, energy companies and tech firms recently launched the Alliance for Critical Infrastructure, a group designed to help combat the growing threat of cyber attacks across industry lines.

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.

Michael Bright, CEO of the Structured Finance Association and a former head of Ginnie Mae, joins the show to discuss the state of the U.S. housing finance system nearly two decades after the financial crisis. He explains why he does not think the system is fundamentally broken, what policymakers still misunderstand about the secondary mortgage market, and how issues like GSE reform, Basel III, private credit and fraud could reshape housing finance in the years ahead.

Alex Johnson, founder of Fintech Takes, details why many banks are thinking about AI the wrong way. He updates his views on stablecoins vs. tokenized deposits, discusses why fintech competition remains a potent threat to banks and talks about why the bigger issue may be how customers use AI to make financial decisions.

Banks have fought a comprehensive effort to ensure stablecoins cannot offer yield. But the Senate Banking Committee passed a bill that the banking industry still says falls short. Does that mean banks have lost the fight? Will a crypto market structure bill pass this year? Brendan Pedersen of Punchbowl News offers insights into the current and future state of play.

Andrew Olmem, managing partner of Mayer Brown's Washington office and a former deputy director of the National Economic Council, talks about how the second Trump administration has moved much faster than the first to reshape financial regulation. He discusses why he believes bank supervision became too bureaucratic and too focused on process, how the administration is approaching capital and the Fed, and what stablecoins, the Clarity Act and OCC preemption could mean for the future of the regulatory system.

Richard Hunt, executive chairman of the Electronic Payments Coalition, discusses the expanding fight over interchange and why the battle is no longer centered only in Washington. He explains what is happening in states like Illinois and Colorado, why the OCC stepped in, and what could happen next in the courts and legislatures.

Nick Timiraos, chief economics correspondent at The Wall Street Journal, discusses the unusually fraught transition now underway at the Federal Reserve. He tackles why Jerome Powell's decision to stay on the board matters, what Kevin Warsh will face if he takes over as chair, and whether the future of the role may be irrevocably altered.

Deposit strategist Neil Stanley sits down with guest host Barb Rehm to discuss how AI is changing depositor behavior, pricing strategy, and the future of bank funding. He explains why static rate sheets and traditional CDs may become increasingly vulnerable as AI tools help customers optimize their cash automatically, and why banks will need more dynamic pricing, personalization, and frontline expertise to stay competitive.

Penny Crosman, executive editor for technology at American Banker, talks about the growing risk of "rogue AI" in banking and why generative and agentic AI have changed the stakes for the industry. She discusses how banks are trying to balance the pressure to adopt AI quickly with the need to control operational, reputational, and cyber risks, including the threat of cascading errors and increasingly powerful models like Anthropic's Mythos.