Banking rules go overboard
Wisconsin State Journal
Given the mortgage meltdown that crashed the economy - something our nation is still recovering from - Congress was right to adopt tighter regulation of the banking industry. But 3,878 pages of qualified mortgage rules, applied to smaller community banks and other local lenders, is excessive. It's the kind of Washington, D.C., red tape that business people so often complain about. Targeting the mortgage brokers and big financial institutions most responsible for the housing crisis makes sense. But can't our leaders in Washington cut the little guys some slack? The stricter rules next year could negatively affect consumers by making it harder to borrow money for homes and by increasing the cost of approved loans. Read the full editorial by the Wisconsin State Journal.

This editorial was written shortly after the WBA and several Madison- area bankers visited the Wisconsin State Journal's editorial board regarding the new mortgage lending rules.