The FDIC has adopted interim final rules spelling out how it will deal with covered bonds in a receivership or conservatorship. The agency’s intention is to encourage the use of covered bonds by U.S. banks. So far, only two — Bank of America and Washington Mutual — have issued this type of bond, in part because of doubts about the FDIC’s intentions. The bonds have been used more extensively in Europe.

Although the Federal Reserve’s proposed Truth in Lending revision to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive home mortgage lending practices has received widespread industry support, a number of the proposed revisions have sparked strong banker opposition.

The Treasury certainly made a big splash when it released its plan to remodel the entire financial services industry and the agencies that supervise it. In fact, the media fuss was so big — starting with the plan’s leak in time to get weekend coverage in The New York Times — that some cynics think that publicity was the whole point.

The FDIC has proposed permanent rules to govern how dividends will be paid from the Deposit Insurance Fund to insured banks — even though there’s no chance dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future.