Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Has Ambitious Agenda

The overall economy and the housing market in particular have shown significant signs of improvement recently. Yet, the pressure that banks and financial-services companies face to reform their practices has not eased. The regulators and enforcement officials charged with protecting the financial markets have continued to press banks to reform their practices, shifting their sights from overhauling the housing market to other financial products, such as auto lending, student loans, and payday lending. A critical—but often overlooked—player guiding this aggressive enforcement agenda is the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.