Editors' picks for the week include a feature ona new Federal Housing Finance Agency rule and a series of stories on S&P GlobalMarket Intelligence's CECL survey.

Bankers fear costs will far outweigh benefits of FASB loan-loss change,survey shows

Frustration reigns as lofty new expenses loom with fewgains expected in return. That is a clear conclusion drawn from an S&P GlobalMarket Intelligence survey of bankers and credit union officials on the FinancialAccounting Standards Board's pending current expected credit loss standard, or CECL,Kevin Dobbs wrote in this blog post.

Many bankers have taken little or no action to prepare for CECL

The confusion surrounding the current expected credit lossmodel is causing paralysis among some financial institution executives, who arewaiting on the Financial Accounting Standards Board for greater transparency andfurther updates before taking action to prepare for the seismic accounting shift.

Big banks could see some 'rationalization' of regulation staff

The hiring of compliance staff to handle new regulationhas offset some of the headcount reductions that have occurred at the largest U.S.bank holding companies, but that could start changing.

New rule could lead credit unions to ramp up business lending

Recent regulatory changes by the National Credit UnionAdministration could lead to more credit unions entering the direct business lendingspace, but the timing of such a move could be crucial.

FHLBs brace for impending loss of many captive insurance company members

The impact of a new Federal Housing Finance Agency rulerestricting captive insurance companies from continued membership in the federalhome loan bank system will vary widely by institution.