Exclusive: Banks lobby regulators for national standards to curb state influence, sources say

U.S. banks are petitioning the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to seek national standards for providing banking services that would override state-imposed rules, three sources familiar with the matter said. Large banks, in particular, are lobbying for uniform U.S. regulations outlining how they can make loans, issue bonds or provide investment banking services, or assess anti-money laundering risks while curbing state powers over their operations, said the sources, who declined to be identified while discussing private talks. The renewed push for national standards, which is being reported by Reuters for the first time, is part of a sweeping effort by the banking industry to lock in more favorable rules under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration. The changes would make it easier for lenders to operate, the sources said. They would also curtail states' power to disrupt banks' operations with rules on so-called "debanking," a practice in which banks allegedly deny services to customers based on political or religious beliefs. Individual states have previously punished banks and barred them from doing business based on lenders' policies on guns, climate change, diversity and other social issues.

DOGE Targeted Him on Social Media. Then the Taliban Took His Family.

Afghan scholar Mohammad Halimi, who fled the Taliban in 2021, had worked to help U.S. diplomats understand his homeland. Then DOGE put his family’s lives at risk by exposing his sensitive work for a U...

A photographer’s view of ICE’s relentless courthouse arrests

The shattering of faith in America's goodness is the hardest part to watch.

Immigration Enforcement Takes Key Role in Trump’s D.C. Crime Crackdown