Financials archive - The Capitol Forum

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 >

Federal Reserve Policy: Warsh’s Pursuit of Quantitative Tightening Faces Myriad Political and Market Constraints

Kevin Warsh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to chair the Federal Reserve, has said that he wants to reduce the Fed’s “bloated” portfolio of assets and has asserted that quantitative easing (the Fed policy of buying assets like Treasuries and mortgage securities) has led to...

Mar 19, 2026 Read Now >

EU Advances Visa, Mastercard Probes with New Questions, File Requests, Sources Say

The European Commission has in recent weeks asked parties involved in its investigations of Visa (V) and Mastercard (MA) to prepare non-confidential versions of documents detailing complaints about the companies’ conduct, so that the submissions can be added to the official case...

Feb 16, 2026 Read Now >

Figure Technology Solutions: Blockchain-Based Home Equity Credit Product May Circumvent Lending Rules

Figure Technology Solutions (FIGR), a nonbank lender that uses blockchain to automate consumer credit lending, derives the bulk of its revenue from a home equity line of credit (HELOC) product that appears to operate much like a traditional home loan, raising questions about whether the...

Feb 12, 2026 Read Now >

Sporttrade: Prediction Platform’s Struggles to Operate Under State Gambling Laws Illustrate Mismatch Between Sportsbook and Exchange Models

Long before Kalshi was offering contracts on NFL game outcomes, a little-known platform called Sporttrade tried to win permission from state gambling regimes to bring exchange wagering to the sports-betting world. The idea was simple: To create a platform through which people could buy...

Feb 03, 2026 Read Now >

KKR: Life and Annuity Funds Steered into Natural Gas Project Are Latest in Trend of Affiliated Private Credit Deals

The private equity and asset management firms that have taken over much of the life and annuity (L/A) sector are loading the portfolios of policyholders and annuitants with private credit investments, a trend that has drawn growing concern from regulators, policymakers, and industry...

Feb 02, 2026 Read Now >

SoftBank/DigitalBridge: Deal Could Test Treasury’s Fast-Track Pilot Program for U.S. Allies

Japan’s SoftBank Group (TSE:9984) has filed its proposed $4 billion acquisition of DigitalBridge Group (DBRG) with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), according to sources familiar with the matter, setting up what could be an early test of a Treasury...

Jan 26, 2026 Read Now >

Tech/Media/Telecom Weekly: USTR Delivering Big Wins for Big Tech; Experts See Challenges to State AG Effort to Pause HPE/Juniper Integration; Uber, Yardi, RealPage Litigation Updates; Apple vs. App Store Legislation; Massachusetts Privacy Bill Outlook; Nexstar/Tegna Takes Another Hit; Bankers Concerned with AWS Security

We are always innovating here at The Capitol Forum, and we want to introduce our first edition of the new Tech/Media/Telecom Weekly. In this edition: Trade Policymakers Outlook: As trade fight between Trump and Europe over Europe’s digital sovereignty rages, Big Tech has already...

Dec 02, 2025 Read Now >

Kalshi: Prediction Platform May Have to Block Access for Nevada Users

A federal judge said Friday that he was considering reversing a prior decision that had allowed prediction market operator Kalshi to continue offering sports event-based contracts in Nevada while its legal battle with state gambling regulators plays out in court. After hours of oral...

Nov 14, 2025 Read Now >

Kalshi: Cracks in Legal Theory Beginning to Emerge After Early Court Victory

Kalshi, the U.S.-based prediction market operator that recently introduced sports betting to its platform, notched an early courtroom win in Nevada earlier this year, bolstering the notion that the company’s novel interpretation of the law could open the door for nationwide sports...

Oct 29, 2025 Read Now >

Dozens of Federal Judges Attended Antitrust Seminars Hosted by Big Tech-Funded Group, Records Show

Dozens of federal judges attended seminars in idyllic locales like Hawaii and Portugal held by a George Mason University (GMU) law school organization that received Big Tech funding, a Capitol Forum review of public records found. The university’s Antonin Scalia Law School, one of the...

Aug 13, 2025 Read Now >

Blackstone/TXNM: Activists May Oppose $11.5 Billion PE Buyout Over Self-Dealing, Environmental Concerns

New Mexican climate and consumer advocacy groups said they’ll likely oppose Blackstone’s (BX) proposed $11.5 billion acquisition of utility operator TXNM Energy (TXNM) over concerns the private equity firm would favor its own financial interests at the expense of ratepayers and the...

Aug 08, 2025 Read Now >

Providence Equity Partners/Cantaloupe: Deal to Consolidate Self-Described Micro-Market ‘Duopoly’ Could Draw Close Antitrust Scrutiny

Providence Equity Partners, in announcing its $848 million agreement to acquire Cantaloupe (CTLP), a self-service retail software and hardware rival, pitched the deal as combining companies with “complementary strengths.” But that’s not how Cantaloupe executives have always...

Aug 08, 2025 Read Now >

HPE/Juniper: As Fight Between DOJ Leadership and Antitrust Division Broils, Tunney Act Proceeding Looms

After DOJ’s suit to block HPE’s (HPE) $14 billion acquisition of Juniper Networks (JNPR) culminated in a highly unusual settlement, the consent decree faces one last barrier to becoming final: Tunney Act review by U.S. District Judge Casey Pitts. That’s typically a rubber stamp....

Jul 24, 2025 Read Now >

Merger Monthly: After Novel Omnicom/Interpublic, HPE/Juniper Remedies, is Everything Settleable?; Outlook for Key Transactions Including Getty/Shutterstock, Mars/Kellanova, and UnitedHealth/Amedisys

In the months after Inauguration Day, the Trump administration’s merger policy appeared to be slowly but surely rounding into form: To wit, meaningful continuity from the Biden administration (retaining the 2023 Merger Guidelines and updated HSR Form), coupled with substantive pull back...

Jul 10, 2025 Read Now >

Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company: Modified Coinsurance Transactions Obscure Company’s Financial Condition

Equitable Financial Life Insurance Company has reinsured nearly half of its in-force life insurance and annuity policies with an affiliate insurer in a series of transactions that have allowed it to upstream billions of dollars out of policyholders’ reach while maintaining the slimmest...

Jun 25, 2025 Read Now >

Influential Conservative Think Tank’s President Touts Legislation Targeting ACA, Medicaid Enrollment and Spending at House Hearing, Says Expansion Match Rate is Still a Problem

Brian Blase, the president of a conservative health policy group with links to the Trump administration, called on Congress at a June 25 House Budget Committee hearing to crack down on enrollments in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace, de-incentivize states from expanding their...

Jun 25, 2025 Read Now >

BlackRock/Allete: PE Firm’s Attempted Utility Takeover Generates Opposition in Minnesota

A $6.2 billion deal that would hand BlackRock (BLK) control of Allete’s (ALE) Minnesota Power, the second-largest electric utility in the state, has prompted concerns that the private equity giant’s drive for returns would lead to higher rates, and less reliable and safe...

Jun 16, 2025 Read Now >

Privacy Policy: New State Laws and Enforcement Actions Target Collection of Children’s Data, Precise Geolocation

Nearly halfway through 2025 a flurry of new state privacy laws and enforcement actions are taking aim at invasive data collection practices, including the sale of precise geolocation and minors’ data, amid the continued absence of comprehensive federal privacy legislation. While policy...

Jun 16, 2025 Read Now >

UnitedHealth/Amedisys: DOJ, Parties Engaging in Serious Talks to Settle Case; Number of Divestitures Under Discussion

Prospects are brightening for UnitedHealth Group’s proposed takeover of Amedisys as DOJ and the parties’ representatives engage in serious negotiations to settle the department’s suit to block the $3.3 billion deal, sources familiar with the matter...

Jun 10, 2025 Read Now >

Visa, Mastercard Probe: EU Should Enforce Fair Fee Split, Terminal Provider Says

The European Commission should force Visa (V) and Mastercard (M) to make banks, card terminal providers and retailers pay their fair share of fees to break the stronghold of the two giant credit card...

Jun 04, 2025 Read Now >

The European Antitrust Agenda: EC Appetite Grows for In-Depth Probes; EU Courts to Hear Major Big Tech Appeals

Brussels hungry for phase 2 reviews. With just one in-depth merger investigation opened so far this year, the European Commission is signaling a renewed appetite for phase 2 investigations, according to sources familiar with the commission’s thinking. “The bar is very low” to...

Jun 03, 2025 Read Now >

Bancorp: Struggling Biotech Firm Steps in as Prospective Buyer of Foreclosed Aubrey Multifamily Property After Original Purchaser Twice Delayed Purchase

After The Bancorp (TBBK) failed to offload a 436-unit multifamily foreclosed property in Houston to the original prospective buyer, an unlikely purchaser—a flailing biotech firm—has acquired the right to close the...

May 29, 2025 Read Now >

Financials Friday: Flagstone’s Nonperforming Loan Level Referred to as ‘Frightening’; Crypto Threats Result in Democratic Support for Stablecoin Bill; Appeal to Vacate Real Estate Price-Fixing Settlement Alleges Widespread Circumvention as New Study Shows Commissions Remain High

Flagstar’s amount of nonperforming loans called “frightening.” U.S. banks reported billions more dollars in loans have gone 90 days or more without a payment, according to first-quarter data. These loans, categorized as “nonperforming,” span everything from car loans to credit...

May 23, 2025 Read Now >

FICO: A Simple Change Could Widen Access to U.S. Mortgages. Why Won’t Fannie and Freddie Make It?

Lenders and mortgage industry watchers say a simple change to allow competition in credit scoring for U.S. mortgages could help more people get real estate loans, but government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae (FNMA) and Freddie Mac (FMCC) are dragging their feet. Veterans Affairs and...

May 21, 2025 Read Now >

The Asia Antitrust Agenda: SAMR Fines Pharma Suppliers for Price-Fixing; ACCC Kicks Off Omnicom/IPG Review; China’s Regulators Warn Food-Delivery Platforms Over Competition Concerns; Indian Supreme Court Issues Landmark Ruling in Abuse of Dominance Case

SAMR fines four pharmaceutical suppliers 354 million yuan for price-fixing. The Tianjin branch of China’s State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) announced on May 9 that it had levied a total of 354 million yuan ($49 million) in penalties on four pharmaceutical suppliers for...

May 19, 2025 Read Now >

EC Deepens Probe into Visa, Mastercard Over Scheme Fees Paid by Retailers

The European Commission is deepening a preliminary probe into whether Visa (V) and Mastercard’s (MA) scheme and processing fees unfairly harm competition in the card payments market. Officials are looking at how the two dominant card networks set fees paid by acquirers such as Elavon...

May 02, 2025 Read Now >

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