With Republicans set to control the White House, Senate, and House next year, Victoria Guida of Politico and Brendan Pedersen of Punchbowl News dive into the implications for financial services companies. That includes what it means for the Fed, including whether President-elect Trump might try to oust Chair Jerome Powell, and what kinds of leaders will take the reins of the Congressional banking committees.

The rise of generative AI agents have promised consumers a better, safer future. But what happens if those agents act in ways that destabilize the system, causing bank runs or better enable bad actors to commit fraud or hack financial institutions? Todd Phillips, assistant professor at Georgia State University’s Robinson College of Business, talks about his new paper looking into how AI could wreak havoc on the financial system.

Kate Berry, a reporter for American Banker, and Christopher Williston, the CEO of the Independent Bankers Association of Texas, go in-depth to discuss the CFPB’s final Section 1033 rule, which implements open banking. They tackle which institutions are most at risk from the final rule, why trade groups are suing to block it, and how the CFPB is responding to bank fears it will spur more fraud.

Eamon Javers, a senior Washington correspondent for CNBC, talks about his new podcast, “The Crimes of Putin’s Trader,” and how Russia is using hackers to infiltrate banks and Wall Street. He goes behind the scenes on the case of Vladislav Klyushin, who was convicted by the U.S. of insider trading, how he was traded back this summer to Russia, and what it means for financial firms here.

Cam Fine, former CEO and president of ICBA, and Ed Yingling, former CEO and president of ABA, discuss and debate the possible outcomes of the election—Presidential, House and Senate—and what they could mean for banking policy. 

Jason Mikula, publisher of Fintech Business Weekly, talks about the ongoing fallout from the failure of fintech Synapse, and banking regulators’ efforts to ensure it can’t happen again. Are regulators going too far? Is this the end of banking-as-a-service?

Rep. Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., the chair of the House Financial Services oversight subcommittee, talks about his agenda if selected as GOP leader of the full panel next year, including looking deeper at artificial intelligence, regulating crypto, and fixing housing. He also talks about his focus on reining in activist investors, what he wants to see the next CFPB director tackle and the limitations of Congressional oversight.

Karen Shaw Petrou, managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics, details how new guidelines by federal regulators to curb M&A could inadvertently increase the market power of the biggest banks and Big Tech.  

Ryan Donovan, the head of the Council of Federal Home Loan Banks, pushes back against criticisms that the government-sponsored enterprises have strayed from their mission. He outlines what the FHLBs want as part of a reform effort by their regulator.

Rep. Andy Barr, the chair of the House financial institutions subcommittee, discusses why he should lead Republicans on the Financial Services Committee next year. He offers a preview of his agenda, including pushing legislation that would prevent banks from denying legal businesses access to financial services and why large institutions are suddenly supporting it. He also details what changes regulators should make in new Basel III capital rules, how regulatory reform for banks could happen,...

Jaret Seiberg, managing director of TD Cowen’s Washington Research Group, discusses the many policy changes facing banks this summer, including the FDIC’s brokered deposit proposal, the Fed’s new FAQ on the discount window, a Texas court decision on the small business rule, and the new uncertainties the election poses for the industry.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

Penny Crosman, executive editor of technology at American Banker, goes behind the scenes on a case of Zelle fraud that cost a consumer thousands of dollars—and what it means for a coming policy fight between the big banks and Washington over the real-time payment system.

Andrew Ackerman, a financial services reporter for the Wall Street Journal, discusses what happens next after FDIC Chair Martin Gruenberg’s surprise announcement that he will resign upon confirmation of a successor. Ackerman also details how regulators plan to dial back the Basel III Endgame proposal, and talks about the CFPB’s future after the Supreme Court upheld its funding structure.

Brendan Pedersen, the financial services reporter for Punchbowl News, discusses the critical importance of upcoming hearings to the future of the FDIC and disturbing revelations from a recent report looking into the agency’s culture. He also discusses an upcoming House vote on a crypto bill and the latest on financial privacy and stablecoin legislation.

Rep. Frank Lucas, the longest serving Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, makes his case for why he should be the next chair, offering his views on community bank consolidation, whether the Fed should be independent, the dangers of quantum computing and how history informs his view of government agencies and programs.

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.