STEVE INSKEEP, host: NPR's business news starts with closing a loophole in the banking industry.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Federal regulators are trying to find a way to keep banks from temporarily hiding their debt. For instance, the failed Lehman Brothers bank once sold billions of dollars in mortgage securities - only to buy the debt back after being inspected. This practice is legal, it turns out, but regulators say it can mislead investors about a bank's level of risk.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: The Securities and Exchange Commission will propose new rules today.
Federal regulators are trying to find a way to keep banks from temporarily hiding their debt. For instance, the failed Lehman Brothers bank once sold billions of dollars in mortgage securities — only to buy the debt back after being inspected. The practice is legal but regulators say it can mislead investors about a bank's level of risk.