Financials archive - The Capitol Forum

Mobility Global: Platform’s Use of Over a Billion Consumer and Vehicle Datapoints for Personalized Targeting Raises Privacy, Fairness Concerns

“We know who bought each and every one of those vehicles. We know how long they own that vehicle. We know where they were when they own that vehicle. We know when they sold that vehicle, and we know what they bought next,” boasted Mobility Global (MBGL) executive Joseph LaFeir to a...

Oct 14, 2026 Read Now >

Mobility Global: Automotive Analytics Company’s Data and Pricing Tools May Raise Antitrust Risk

Mobility Global (MBGL) is the automotive industry’s most comprehensive data and analytics company, with visibility into the pricing, inventory, incentives, sales and consumer behavior across nearly every layer of the vehicle marketplace. But the company’s vast market intelligence,...

Oct 13, 2026 Read Now >

European Antitrust Agenda: EU’s Shift Away from U.S. Tech Giants Sparks Backlash Among European Rivals; Aramark Weighs UK Supreme Court Appeal

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, our weekly overview of European tech and competition law developments. Key stories we’re following this week include: • EU’s effort to swap U.S. tech for European rivals is proving to be a bumpy ride • Scottish court squashes Aramark...

Oct 13, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Community Banks Sue To Block Administration From Chartering Crypto Companies as Banks; Congress May Target Compass Over Private Listings Next Year; Fed Officials Call For Market Stress Preparation; Largest U.S. Mortgage Lender Drops Credit Score Minimums; Warren Launches ‘Trumpflation’ Tracker

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Community Bankers sue to block Trump Administration from chartering crypto...

Oct 09, 2026 Read Now >

Aquarian/Brighthouse: $2.8 Billion Reinsurance Discrepancy Involves New York Affiliate, Could Complicate Merger Review in That State; Massachusetts Regulator Still Waiting for Final Merger Application as December 6 Deadline Looms

Two life insurers owned by Brighthouse Financial (BHF) report that they’ve shifted a combined $3.44 billion of annuity policyholder promises to a third Brighthouse insurer. Yet, the receiving insurer only reports taking on $679 million of those...

Oct 08, 2026 Read Now >

Life & Annuity Industry: Regulators Seek Visibility into Potential Solvency Risks Posed by Funding Agreement-Backed Notes

The rapid emergence of funding agreement-backed notes (FABNs), which have helped to fuel life insurers’ investments in private credit, is drawing scrutiny from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), with new disclosure rules set to take effect at the end of the year...

Oct 07, 2026 Read Now >

Deutsche Boerse/Allfunds: EU Expected to Unconditionally Clear Deal in Phase 1, Sources Say

The European Commission is expected to unconditionally clear Deutsche Boerse’s (DBKG) acquisition of Allfunds (ALLFUN) in phase 1, a deal that could provide an early test of the commission’s evolving approach to merger control, sources with knowledge of the probe told The Capitol...

Oct 07, 2026 Read Now >

Apollo/easyJet: Ownership Structure Likely to Face Scrutiny from Regulators, Sources Say

U.S. asset management firm Apollo (NYSE: APO)’s £5.7 billion ($7.5 billion) acquisition of major UK airline easyJet (LSE: EZY) is expected to prompt questions about the level of foreign ownership and control of the company during foreign investment reviews, sources told The Capitol...

Oct 05, 2026 Read Now >

Antitrust Agenda: How the Wave of New Democrat House Members May Shape the Next Congress; John Deere Faces State Legislature Push for Farmer Control Over Data; Lawmakers Consider Whether Utility Rate of Return Should Be Set by Markets; Live Nation’s Collection of Amphitheaters Could See State and Local Government Pushback; State AGs Look to Rein in Pharmacy Benefit Managers

*A select excerpt: State AGs using antitrust lawsuits to rein in PBMs. Florida AG James Uthmeier last week filed another antitrust lawsuit against pharmacy benefit managers—his second in less than a month—in a growing bipartisan effort to use antitrust laws to lower drug prices. The...

Oct 02, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: SEC Guidance Boosts Private Credit Lawsuits; Banking Regulators Split on American Express Oversight; Pulte Gives FICO Competitor Big Leg Up; Watchdog Finds No Criminality in Fed Renovations; Illinois Court Expands Injunction Against Swipe Fee Bill

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • SEC guidance boosts private credit lawsuits. • Trump’s comptroller...

Oct 02, 2026 Read Now >

Corebridge Financial/Equitable Holdings: Merger of Equals Could Attract Close Insurance Regulator Scrutiny

Equitable Holdings (EQH) and Corebridge Financial (CRBG) seek to become one company with a combined 12 insurers and reinsurers, over 12 million customers and $1.5 trillion assets under management by the end of the...

Sep 30, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: State AGs Could Target Realtors as Fees Remain Unchanged Two Years After Settlement; Kalshi Applies for Margin Trading; New York Files Second Bombshell Prediction Market Suit, This Time Against Polymarket; Subprime Auto Lender Agrees to $710 Million Settlement

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Real estate commissions remain unchanged two years after settlement,...

Sep 25, 2026 Read Now >

KKR/Global Atlantic: Reinsurance Business Draws Mutuals, Traditional Life Insurers into Private Equity’s ‘Insurance as Asset Class’ Model

A vast web of reinsurance transactions has reshaped who stands behind Americans’ life insurance and retirement promises, with traditionally conservative corners of the industry increasingly dependent on the success of private equity firms and their investment strategies, a Capitol Forum...

Sep 23, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Enova Abandons Federal Banking Charter; Warren Pitches Reviving Crypto Bill in a Democratic Congress; Senate Advances Trump’s CFPB Nominee; Corpay Agrees to $100 Million Deceptive Practices Fine; Zillow Loses Chicago Access in Private Listings Fight

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Enova shelves attempt to gain federal banking charter. • Warren says a...

Sep 18, 2026 Read Now >

A-CAP: South Carolina Regulator Petitions to Seize Life Insurer and Its Reinsurer Nearly Two Years After a Failed Attempt to Stop the Companies from Writing New Business

The South Carolina Department of Insurance is seeking to take control of Atlantic Coast Life Insurance Company and its reinsurer, Southern Atlantic Re, alleging that the insurers’ risk-based capital ratios “have fallen significantly below their required level for licensure and remain...

Sep 16, 2026 Read Now >

Tech/Media/Telecom Weekly: Former DOJ Official Alford Comes Out Against Cruz’s NCAA Reform Bill; Newsmax Seeks Concessions in Fox-Roku Tie-up; Tech Lobbyists Want Tariff Exemptions on Chinese Goods; China Spy Agency Views Foreign AI as a Threat; Upcoming Ruling in Collusion Case Could Clarify Bounds of Per Se Liability for Algorithmic Coordination

The TMT Weekly is a forward-looking tipsheet that covers tech policy across The Capitol Forum’s U.S. policy coverage universe, from Congress to the courts. If you have any feedback, feel free to email editorial@thecapitolforum.com. In this edition: • Congressional Outlook: Former top...

Sep 15, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Lobbying for Clarity Act Erupts Ahead of Senate Vote; Warren Launches Probe Into Private Equity Ties to Insurers; Former Bancorp CFO Fined for Filing Unaudited Annual Report; Small Banks to Get Fewer Inspections; CFPB Ceases Publication of Consumer Complaints; Cannabis Shops Can’t Find a Bank

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • The crypto industry and banking groups are launching a national advertising...

Sep 11, 2026 Read Now >

Aquarian/Brighthouse: Subsidiary Relies on Controversial Tactic to Mask Financial Situation, Relieving Balance Sheet of $539 Million in Liabilities

Aquarian Holdings, which is attempting to acquire life insurer Brighthouse Financial (BHF), has a subsidiary employing a controversial accounting method that relieves its balance sheet of more than half a billion dollars in liabilities, raising questions about its...

Sep 09, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: How a Democratic President Could Boot Life Insurance Companies Out of the Federal Home Loan Bank System; New Republican Bill Targets CFPB Funding; Banks Get Into Stablecoin Business; Last Bastion of Private Listings Opposition Falls to Compass; New Jersey Kicks Kalshi Dispute to SCOTUS

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Democratic momentum for reforming the Federal Home Loan Bank system is...

Sep 04, 2026 Read Now >

KKR and Kuvare: KKR and Kuvare Life Insurers File Conflicting Sworn Accounts of the Same Reinsurance Deal, $542 Million Apart on the Money Set Aside for Policyholders

Kuvare Holdings-owned Guaranty Income Life Insurance Company and KKR-owned (KKR) Commonwealth Annuity and Life Insurance Company are telling their respective state regulators materially different stories about the same $542 million reinsurance deal—and they’ve been doing so for at...

Sep 02, 2026 Read Now >

Health Care Weekly: Florida AG Accuses PBMs of Price-Fixing; Acquisitions of Pending Pharma IP Should Face Antitrust Scrutiny, FTC Says; FDA Targets Online Peptide Sellers; Medicare DME Moratorium Ends; Dialysis Giants Comment on ESRD Proposal; Update on FDA Warnings About Clinical Trial Disclosures

The Health Care Weekly is a timely analysis of competition developments, policy changes and other updates that may affect medical and pharmaceutical markets. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Prime Therapeutics, Express Scripts engaged in price-fixing, Florida AG says....

Sep 02, 2026 Read Now >

Deutsche Boerse/Allfunds: Firms Set to File Merger to European Commission Next Month, Sources Say

Deutsche Boerse (DBKG) is preparing to file its proposed acquisition of Allfunds (ALLFUN) with EU regulators as early as next month, according to people with direct knowledge of the...

Sep 02, 2026 Read Now >

Super.com: Cash Advance Feature Could Expose Company to Scrutiny, Raise Consumer Protection Concerns, Experts Say

Super.com’s cash advance offering, “Super.com Cash,” resembles Earned Wage Access (EWA) products that have faced private litigation and federal enforcement, as well as scrutiny from California’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) for allegedly failing to...

Aug 25, 2026 Read Now >

Western Union/International Money Express: Deal Faces Open-Ended Review by California Financial Regulator

Western Union (WU) faces an open-ended review by California’s financial regulator of the company’s proposed $500 million acquisition of rival International Money Express...

Aug 18, 2026 Read Now >

KKR: KKR Life Insurer Would Have Been Taken Over by Iowa Regulators Years Ago but for a Long-Standing Accounting Maneuver Propping It Up

Concerns about the life insurance and annuity industry have focused largely on the riskiness of insurers’ investments as they’ve moved policyholder money into private, illiquid...

Aug 13, 2026 Read Now >

Super.com’s Allegedly Deceptive Billing and Subscription Practices Draw Widespread Customer Complaints, May Raise Consumer Protection Concerns

Financial services and travel booking company Super.com may be engaging in deceptive billing and subscription tactics, according to widespread consumer complaints. The alleged practices, which resemble allegations in the federal government’s lawsuit against Uber (UBER) for its Uber One...

Aug 11, 2026 Read Now >

Blackstone/TXNM Energy: Leading Candidates for New Mexico Governor, Both Deal Critics, Could Influence Delayed Review If Either Elected

Private equity giant Blackstone (BX), in its bid for utility TXNM Energy (TXNM), will almost certainly face a critic in the New Mexico governor’s chair when the state’s regulator decides next year whether to allow the $11.5 billion...

Aug 11, 2026 Read Now >

Aquarian/Brighthouse: Spotlight Shines on Accounting Maneuvers at Delaware-Regulated Brighthouse Reinsurer

The proposed sale of Brighthouse Financial (BHF) to Aquarian Holdings has turned the spotlight on a little-understood dynamic in the life and annuity industry, in which certain states have allowed insurers to transfer massive amounts of risk to affiliated reinsurers without any public...

Aug 07, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: New York Sues Kalshi for $36 Billion; Dodd Says Prediction Market Rules Violate Intent of Dodd-Frank; CFPB Nomination Stalls; Community Banks Line Up to Oppose ‘Skinny’ Fed Accounts for Fintechs; Former CFPB Official Tapped to Lead New Jersey Consumer Affairs Division

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • New York brings bombshell Kalshi lawsuit led by fired CFTC enforcers. •...

Jul 31, 2026 Read Now >

Figure Technologies: Balance in Non-Accrual Status Skyrockets as Figure Takes Troubled Loans onto Balance Sheet

Figure Technologies (FIGR), known for its fast-growing home equity line of credit (HELOC) origination business, reported a sharp spike in non-accrual loans on its balance sheet for the first quarter of the year, a signal that the credit quality of the loans originated by the company’s...

Jul 30, 2026 Read Now >

Tech/Media/Telecom Weekly: Commerce Committee to Mark Up Kids Online Safety Act; Public Interest Groups Prepare Suit Challenging Lifting of Broadcast Cap; European Grocery Chains Adopt Sovereign Payment System to Compete with Visa and Mastercard; Trump-aligned Lobbying Group Drops Micron; FCC Launches Enforcement Action Against Drone-maker with Chinese ties; California Audits Gig Economy Platforms

The TMT Weekly is a forward-looking tipsheet that covers tech policy across The Capitol Forum’s U.S. policy coverage universe, from Congress to the courts. If you have any feedback, feel free to email...

Jul 28, 2026 Read Now >

Life and Annuity Industry: KKR- and Apollo-Backed Insurers, Heavily Invested in Private Credit, Have Little Cushion to Stave off Regulatory Action if Investments Take Write-Downs

A Capitol Forum analysis of statutory filings indicates that three life insurers owned by private equity giants KKR (KKR) and Apollo Global Management (APO) have remarkably little room to absorb losses on their most subjectively-valued investments before depleting capital thresholds to...

Jul 27, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Trump’s CFPB Nominee Distances Himself From Staffing Cuts; Swing-Vote Dems Reject Clarity Act as Deadline Looms; Oregon Latest State to License Buy-Now, Pay-Later Firms; Bipartisan Push for FinCEN Reform; Celsius Founders Pay Millions for Misleading Customers Before Collapse

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Background-check questions and call for Carvana investigation arise in...

Jul 24, 2026 Read Now >

Buy Now Pay Later, Earned Wage Access, and Student Loan Servicing Industries Face Likely Scrutiny with Rohit Chopra at Helm of California Enforcement Agency

Former CFPB Director and FTC Commissioner Rohit Chopra has garnered a reputation as one of the most effective and aggressive enforcers of consumer protection law in the nation. Now, with Chopra overseeing California’s consumer finance law enforcement apparatus, the sector could soon...

Jul 21, 2026 Read Now >

Clarity Act Grants Legal Immunity to Trump-Affiliated Crypto Company; Democrats Say They Were Unaware and Provision Raises Further Ethics Concerns

Congress’s signature cryptocurrency legislation would quietly shield crypto platform Solana, which has financial ties to the Trump family’s crypto empire, from past allegations of offering unregistered...

Jul 20, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: State AGs Warn Against Giving Banking Charters to Fintechs; Crypto Bank Asks SCOTUS to Weigh In on Fed Master Account Access; Dems Raise Concern About Fed Jobs Task Force’s Links to AI; Mamdani Proposes Sweeping Junk Fee Rule; Trump’s CFPB Nominee to Appear Before Congress Next Week

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • State AGs warn that lending fintechs are seeking banking charters to dodge...

Jul 17, 2026 Read Now >

Electronic Arts, Saudi-Led Consortium Grow Confident About Phase 1 Clearance in EC Foreign Subsidies Regulation Review

U.S. video game developer Electronic Arts (EA) and a consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), are increasingly optimistic that the European Commission will clear their $55 billion deal after a phase 1 review under the bloc’s Foreign...

Jul 15, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Vought To Testify Before Senate; Housing Bill To Become Law Tonight, Probably; CFPB Signals Turnaround on Credit Card Fees; Earned Wage Advance Bill Passes Committee But Has No Path Forward; Cash App Pays $45 Million Over Scam Accounts; Fed Unveils Task Force Members

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: • Vought to testify on Capitol Hill next week. • CFPB reverses course and...

Jul 10, 2026 Read Now >

Blackstone/TXNM: New Mexico Utility Regulator Finds Blackstone Purchase of TXNM Stock Illegal as Focus Turns Again to Merger Review

The New Mexico utility regulator’s order today that Blackstone (BX) unwind a $400 million purchase of TXNM Energy’s (TXNM) stock complicated the private equity firm’s financing of its proposed acquisition of the utility but also returned the commission’s focus to its review of the...

Jul 02, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: SEC Chair Says Crypto Bank Deposits Coming Next Year; Landmark Illinois Law Requires Buy Now, Pay Later Lenders to Obtain Licenses; Banking Dems Call for Investigation into Fed Board Member Bowman; Warsh Teases Task Force Unveiling Next Week

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week include: SEC Chair says crypto bank deposits to be approved by next year. New Illinois...

Jul 02, 2026 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: European Commission Defends ‘Call-In’ Powers; EU Executive’s IT Department Breaking Up with Contentious Broadcom Unit

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, our weekly overview of European tech and competition law developments. Key stories we’re following this week include: • European Commission defends call-ins • EU executive ditches controversial American...

Jun 30, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: CFPB Cracks Down on Consumer Complaints; Housing Agency Pushes Fannie and Freddie to Expand Into Mobile Home Lending; Senators Clash Over Credit Card Cap; New York Fed Warns About Synthetic Stablecoin Risk; Gensler Addresses Prediction Market Gambling

Financials Friday is a weekly overview of financial news and analysis of the timing and priorities of key agencies including the Federal Reserve, OCC and FDIC. Key stories we’re following this week...

Jun 26, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Possible Breakthrough Looming in Import-Export Bank Board Seat Dispute; CoStar Filing Shows Everyone Agrees the MLS System is Dead; Inflation Report Increases Fears in Congress; Trump Nominates Capital One Exec to Head CFPB; Warren Introduces Bill on Banking Exposure to AI

Optimism for Democratic nominees could pave way for unshackling of Export-Import Bank; Scott says housing bill deal as soon as next week. In public, the fight over partisan agency board seats continued this week with Senate Democrats calling on President Donald Trump to drop his blockade...

Jun 12, 2026 Read Now >

California Poised to Take On For-Profit Colleges with Former CPFB Director Rohit Chopra Taking Charge of New Consumer Protection Agency

When Rohit Chopra takes the helm as secretary of the newly formed California Business and Consumer Services Agency (BCSA) on July 1, the former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director and FTC commissioner will have broad power to enforce consumer protection and corporate oversight...

Jun 12, 2026 Read Now >

Blackstone/TXNM Energy: PE Firm Likely Faces Tough Choice of Accepting Recommended Penalty or Extending Regulatory Process With Appeal

Private equity firm Blackstone (BX) probably faces a tough choice in its $11.5 billion bid for New Mexico power company TXNM Energy (TXNM): accept a utility regulator’s likely fine and order to unwind a $400 million stock purchase, or appeal that decision, extending the regulatory...

Jun 10, 2026 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: CMA Pressured on Paramount Skydance/Warner; Telecom Consolidation Under Scrutiny

Welcome to The European Antitrust Agenda, brought to you by Europe Executive Editor Javier Espinoza and Senior Correspondents Lydia O’Neal, Barbara Pianese, Joanna Sopinska and Catherine Stupp. This week, we look at the Open Markets Institute’s submission to the CMA on Paramount...

Jun 09, 2026 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Fed Vice Chair Says Fed Officials Are Defying Silicon Valley Bank Investigation; Illinois Swipe Fee Deadline Averted but Legal Fight Continues; Bessent Testifies Before House; Dems Introduce Bill to Fund CFPB

Bowman says Fed staff are defying Silicon Valley Bank investigation. Unnamed Federal Reserve officials are refusing to comply with an outside investigation into the causes of the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) collapse, Fed Vice Chair of Supervision Michelle Bowman said...

Jun 05, 2026 Read Now >

Electronic Arts Buyers Expected to File Under EU Foreign Subsidy Rules Before Summer, Sources Say

The bidding consortium involved in the proposed $55 billion takeover of videogame publisher Electronic Arts (EA) is expected to notify its transaction to the European Commission under the EU’s Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) before the summer, according to two people familiar with...

Jun 04, 2026 Read Now >

Paramount Skydance/Warner Bros. Discovery: Booker Schedules Wednesday Hearing on Deal Featuring Labor, Media Witnesses

This article has been updated to include Paramount Skydance’s response to Booker’s invitation for CEO David Ellison to testify. Senator Cory Booker, a critic of Paramount Skydance’s (PSKY) proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), has scheduled a hearing today on the $81...

Apr 13, 2026 Read Now >

Privacy Policy: California Data Broker Registry Reveals Dozens of Brokers Selling Consumers’ Data to Foreign Actors, Law Enforcement, Federal Government

Last week the California Privacy Protection Agency (CalPrivacy) published its 2026 Data Broker Registry, revealing that dozens of brokers have sold or shared consumers’ personal data to the federal government, law enforcement, and even foreign adversary countries over the past...

Apr 01, 2026 Read Now >

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