It is a testament to the scale of Abraham Lincoln’s place in history that his notable accomplishments in the financial sector are little known today. Lincoln—whose policies on banks were as transformative as either Hamilton’s or FDR’s—is rarely thought of for his banking accomplishments. But upon reflection on his own career, Lincoln might have named his banking legacy among his most important. (ABA Banking Journal)

According to the latest government figures, U.S. new-home construction rose in January to the highest level since October 2016, helped by a surge in apartment building, as momentum in the housing market continues into 2018. (Bloomberg)

Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ether have seeped into the public consciousness, gaining the attention of regulators at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. But laws adopted decades ago give the two regulators little authority to engage in oversight of the burgeoning market in cryptocurrencies — for now. (New York Times)

On the latest episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast, the leader of the Washington, D.C., area’s largest community bank describes how his bank invests in its customer experience and the next generation of employees. (ABA Banking Journal)

The number of fraud victims in the U.S. rose by eight percent in 2017 to total 16.7 million, according to new data released by Javelin Strategy & Research last week. U.S. consumers experienced a total of $16.8 billion in fraud losses. (ABA Banking Journal)

In a comment letter to the Federal Reserve, ABA raised concerns about the Federal Reserve’s proposed supervisory rating scale for large bank holding companies with more than $50 billion in assets. (ABA Banking Journal)

The House has approved two ABA-backed bipartisan regulatory reform bills. H.R. 3299 provides a much-needed fix for confusion created by the Madden v. Midland Funding decision. H.R. 3978 amends the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act to require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to allow the accurate disclosure of title insurance premiums and any potential available discounts to homebuyers. (ABA Banking Journal)

Last week, the House passed two ABA-supported bipartisan regulatory relief bills. H.R. 4771 would raise the asset threshold to qualify for the Federal Reserve’s small bank holding company policy statement from $1 billion to $3 billion. H.R. 1153 would provide much-needed clarifications to the points-and-fees test under the Qualified Mortgage rules. (ABA Banking Journal)

New Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is already making it clear that he wants more direct interaction with the Fed’s army of Ph.D. economists, and on a faster and more informal basis than sought by his predecessors, according to two Fed insiders familiar with the moves and who asked not to be identified. (Bloomberg)