News Highlights: Top Financial Services News of the Day

Fed Holds Rates Steady, Sees 'Solid' Economic Gains

The Federal Reserve held short-term interest rates steady Wednesday and said it would continue along its path of gradual increases aimed at keeping the economy on track.

Appeals Court Rules CFPB Structure Is Constitutional

A federal appeals court upheld the single-director structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created after the financial crisis, but threw out the penalties it levied against a mortgage-service company.

SoFi Lays Off 5% of Staff

Online lender Social Finance Inc. is laying off dozens of employees in its mortgage division, an area the company previously highlighted for its growth prospects, according to people familiar with the matter.

Julius Baer's New CEO Aims for Expansion

Bernhard Hodler is starting his tenure at the helm of Julius Baer Group mostly where his predecessor Boris Collardi left off: expanding the Swiss private bank.

JPMorgan Top Lawyer Decamping for Simpson Thacher Law Firm

Stephen Cutler, a longtime top lawyer and senior executive at JPMorgan Chase & Co., is leaving the bank to join law firm Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as a partner in New York later this year.

Liberty Mutual Shops $1 Billion in Private Equity, Real Estate

Liberty Mutual Insurance is seeking bids on roughly $1 billion of its private-equity and real estate stakes, said people familiar with the matter.

How to Get Help With a Stock Buyback: Ask Blackstone

Thomson Reuters is selling a majority stake in its declining terminals business, but the deal isn't straightforward.

Will Insurers Follow Chubb's Lead to Recovery?

Evan Greenberg, chief executive of insurance giant Chubb, is a man on a mission. For the past few months he has been pounding the table for higher pricing in property and casualty insurance to improve returns across the industry.

Treasury to Rely On More Short-Term Borrowing as Deficit Seen Climbing

The Treasury Department said it will need to issue more debt this quarter to accommodate rising budget deficits, and it also plans to adjust the size of its debt auctions beginning next month in response to the Fed's moves to shrink the size of its bond portfolio.

Bond Selloff Sends Ripples Through Corporate Debt Market

Months of selling in government bonds are beginning to send ripples through the corporate debt market, posing fresh risks to investors.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

January 31, 2018 16:15 ET (21:15 GMT)