Female fintech founders vs. venture capital; regulators vs. crypto; Congress

Why is it still so hard for female fintech founders to get VC funding? The rate of venture funding to startups run by women continues to decline.

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Here's more of what we're covering today in banking, credit unions, fintech, payments and regulation:

CFPB targets large banks with new repeat offender unit : The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau 's 'repeat offender unit' will identify the root causes of recurring violations and find ways to hold companies accountable.

Read more from our Washington bureau: Will scrutiny of the Federal Home Loan Bank system lead to change? The sleepy Federal Home Loan Bank system is under intense scrutiny as critics push for more oversight and increased affordable housing while supporters say the system works well for member banks.

In a joint statement, the Federal Reserve Board , Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said issuing and holding cryptocurrencies is 'likely to be inconsistent with safe and sound banking practices.'

NMI arms itself for a tougher economy with acquisitions, partnerships : Payments firm NMI plans to combine technology from these deals to appeal to the merchants that will need more flexibility and options to fight a potential recession.

BankThink: This Congress can't raise the debt limit. That's bad. The 118th Congress began today by failing to select a Speaker of the House on the first ballot. That doesn't bode well for anything, but especially the federal debt ceiling.