Recent Articles

Once More Into The Breach

Kevin Funnell
March 22, 2012 02:42

I'm traveling the next two weeks and blogging, therefore, will be sporadic. While I'm gone, I'd like to post a portion of my Disclaimer, since no matter how much I write about this topic, a few readers remain utterly resistant...I'm traveling the next two weeks and blogging, therefore, will be...

No Access, No How?

Kevin Funnell
March 21, 2012 02:39

Yesterday's financial institution letter from the FDIC (FIL-14-2012) has raised the hackles of lawyers who represent officers and/or directors of banks that are "in distress." Last year, the FDIC got into a claymation Celebrity Deathmatch with a few law firms...Yesterday's financial institution...

Pandit Gives Some Love To Dodd-Frank

Kevin Funnell
March 20, 2012 02:44

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit was saying nice things about Dodd-Frank not long ago, which makes me wonder if he's off his meds again. Speaking to a packed ballroom at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in Manhattan on Wednesday, Mr. Pandit, the chief...Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit was saying nice things about...

Community Organized Breaking and Entering

Kevin Funnell
March 19, 2012 02:56

An irate reader sent me this article last week, which, he asserted, showed evidence of "open criminal activity" that Chicago city officials were tacitly permitting. To make the long human-interest story short, non-profit groups allied with the Occupy Wall Street...An irate reader sent me this...

Hat Tips

Kevin Funnell
March 15, 2012 02:54

Once is a blue moon, I like to give a special shout-out to other lawyers whose work I admire, instead of simply stealing it and claiming it as my own. I realize that puts me at a competitive disadvantage versus...Once is a blue moon, I like to give a special shout-out to other lawyers whose work I...

Out One Pocket, Into Another

Kevin Funnell
March 14, 2012 02:43

The always provocative Junior Deputy Accountant points the way to another amusing statistic (courtesy of the always Fair-and-Balanced Fox News). The Government Accountability Office says in a new report that banks that have repaid the Treasury Department's TARP bailout program...The always...

Examiners Second-Guessing Community Banks On Executive Compensation?

Kevin Funnell
March 13, 2012 01:59

A recent article in Bank Safety & Soundness Reporter (paid subscription required) claims that while Dodd-Frank focused federal bank regulators on incentive-based compensation at the largest banks, bank examiners "are using safety and soundness criticism and the threat of formal...A recent article...

The Servicers Settlement Disconnect

Kevin Funnell
March 12, 2012 13:46

The recent announcement that Bank of America cut a "side deal" to earn extra brownie points (and lower penalties) in the robo-signing settlement with state attorneys general touched off a round of criticism. As reported in The Wall Street Journal,...The recent announcement that Bank of America cut...

What A Tangled Web We Weave

Kevin Funnell
March 08, 2012 03:52

Steve Van Beek at the NAFCU Compliance Blog had a nice three-part series of posts on the CFPB's recent announcements and round table discussion about overdrafts. In the first post, Steve talked about the issue of linked accounts. The CFPB...Steve Van Beek at the NAFCU Compliance Blog had a nice...

Public Service

Kevin Funnell
March 07, 2012 03:36

By now, I'm sure most readers have seen the public service announcement that Michael Douglas performed for th FBI on insider trading. For those few who might have missed it, and might actually care, here it is, lousy sound quality...By now, I'm sure most readers have seen the public service...