Mfsa banking rules

HONG KONG — China has suspended a policy that would have effectively pushed foreign technology companies out of the country’s banking sector, according to a note sent by Chinese regulators to banks. Dated Monday, the letter called for banks to “suspend implementation” of the rules , which have been at the center of a brewing trade conflict between the United States and China. The rules, put into effect at the end of last year, called for companies that sell computer equipment to Chinese banks to turn over intellectual property and submit source code, in addition to other demands. At stake is billions of dollars of business for major American companies that make the advanced computing hardware and software that crunches numbers for banks across China. Trade groups representing companies including Microsoft, IBM and Apple have complained that such policies are protectionist . Yet the development is only a small reprieve for American tech companies. The suspension is temporary … [Read more...] about China Halts New Policy on Tech for Banks

FRANKFURT — No matter which way the Greek vote goes, the European Central Bank on Monday will face a series of agonizing decisions. Greece’s future in the eurozone may well depend on how far the central bank is willing to go to prop up struggling Greek banks and prevent a total economic collapse. If Greeks vote yes — agreeing to accept unpopular dictates from other eurozone nations and international creditors in return for more aid — the central bank would have a much easier time justifying emergency loans and other steps to keep the banks from failing. No economy can function properly without banks; if they topple, so will the economy. But if Greeks vote no, Mario Draghi, the president of the E.C.B., may be confronted with a difficult choice. The central bank’s rules would probably require it to stop providing cash to Greek banks. But Mr. Draghi might be tempted to find a way around those rules, because choking off financial support would thrust untold hardship upon ordinary … [Read more...] about Day of Reckoning for Greek Banks and Eurozone’s Central Banker

The International Court of Justice ruled Friday that the major portion of the barrier Israel is building violated international law because it was rising on Palestinian land on the West Bank. In a nonbinding decision, it called on Israeli officials to tear down the sections it ruled to be illegal and to compensate Palestinians whose land it cuts across or whose interests have otherwise been harmed.. The opinion, endorsed by all 15 justices with the exception of the sole American, Thomas Buergenthal, found that the barrier ''constitutes breaches by Israel of its obligations under the applicable humanitarian law'' and that it ''cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements of national security or public order.'' Palestinian officials immediately hailed the advisory opinion as a major legal victory. ''This is an excellent decision,'' the Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat, told reporters at his compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah. ''This is a victory for the … [Read more...] about MAJOR PORTION OF ISRAELI FENCE IS RULED ILLEGAL

When the housing crisis sent the American economy to the brink of disaster in 2008, millions of people lost their homes. The banking system had failed homeowners and their families. New investors soon swept in — mainly private equity firms — promising to do better. But some of these new investors are repeating the mistakes that banks committed throughout the housing crisis, an investigation by The New York Times has found. They are quickly foreclosing on homeowners. They are losing families’ mortgage paperwork, much as the banks did. And many of these practices were enabled by the federal government, which sold tens of thousands of discounted mortgages to private equity investors, while making few demands on how they treated struggling homeowners. The rising importance of private equity in the housing market is one of the most consequential transformations of the post-crisis American financial landscape. A home, after all, is the single largest investment most families will … [Read more...] about How Housing’s New Players Spiraled Into Banks’ Old Mistakes

close Video Former Obama econ adviser confirms 'banking crisis' in wake of First Republic Bank collapse Fox News contributor Robert Wolf reacts to JPMorgan rescuing First Republic Bank after its collapse on 'America Reports.' NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles! In recent years, major banks have come under intense criticism for their business practices. We know them more today for misdeeds than merits. Their lapses have become lead stories in the mainstream media and ready-made content for C-SPAN hearings. We've seen epic failures by First Republic , Signature Bank and Silicon Valley Bank; 19 state AGs alleging discrimination by Chase Bank against conservative and religious groups, and Wells Fargo paying millions to settle class action and CFPB claims for their fake account debacle. These events have left deep fault lines in banks' reputations, going from beneficent to black hat in recent years. The future … [Read more...] about Blaming banks for the environment is not good business

Hundreds of angry protesters confronted Israeli police officers as they tried to eject them Thursday from the illegal West Bank settlement of Amona, the second day of clashes there. Several officers were injured as they cleared a synagogue of 200 people who had barricaded themselves in the outpost’s last inhabited building. “How can the State of Israel destroy a synagogue?” Rabbi Yair Frank of the settlement asked on Israeli radio. “The entire Jewish people should be crying on this day.” The police permitted Rabbi Frank to say a final prayer in the building before the last of the activists were removed. Earlier, protesters sprayed fire extinguishers at police officers and threw rocks, paint bottles and wooden planks, the police said. Someone spray-painted a swastika and graffiti that compared the Israeli police to Nazis on the synagogue walls. “The officers faced especially tough and violent resistance,” the police said in a statement. … [Read more...] about Israel Ejects Settlers in Last Stand at West Bank Synagogue