How will Washington revamp banking post-SVB? We’re going to get a good sense of that this week from the Biden administration, Congress and the Federal Reserve.

First up this morning is a major Brookings speech on bank mergers from DOJ’s Jonathan Kanter, who leads the department’s antitrust division.

Bankers will be watching the speech closely. They’re hopeful that the Biden administration will be more accommodating of bank consolidation to help shore up the industry — especially after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu sent signals that bank representatives saw as encouraging.

But industry watchdog groups, including the American Economic Liberties Project, Americans for Financial Reform and Public Citizen, warn Yellen and top banking regulators in a new letter today that it would be risky to let big banks get bigger (AELP today also has a report out on the issue). They want the agencies to be “full-throated and clear in their affirmation that robust regulation and competition, not consolidation, will lead to a healthier, safer, and more vibrant financial system.”

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