Full Definition of Banking Law

Banking law, also termed finance law, encompasses both state and federal laws regarding the regulation of financial institutions. Banks and financial institutions are regulated by the body of law under which they were created.

The law governing banks, bank accounts, and lending in the United States is a hybrid of federal and state statutory law. Consumers and businesses may establish bank accounts in banks and savings associations chartered under state or federal law. The law under which a bank is chartered regulates that particular bank. A mix of state and federal law, however, governs most operations and transactions by bank customers.