On March 9, 2021, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (“CFPB” or “Bureau”) issued an interpretive rule clarifying that the Equal Opportunity Credit Act (“ECOA”) and its implementing regulation, Regulation B, prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The CFPB made clear that this prohibition also extends to “actual or perceived nonconformity with traditional … Continue Reading
On December 10, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued new guidance interpreting section 314(b) of the USA PATRIOT Act and rescinding FinCEN’s previous guidance. Section 314(b) is intended to establish a safe harbor for financial institutions that voluntarily share (in accordance with the statute’s terms) information regarding possible terrorism and money laundering. The new … Continue Reading
On Friday, the leaders of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”), and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) (collectively, the “Agencies”) issued a “Joint Statement on Activities Involving Digital Assets” (the “Joint Statement”). The Joint Statement serves as a reminder that businesses engaged in activities involving digital assets – or, as … Continue Reading
In the past few weeks, both Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) Chairman Jelena McWilliams and Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting have spoken publicly about ongoing efforts by their agencies, and by the Federal Reserve Board, to reform regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”). The federal bank regulatory agencies have been working on reforms … Continue Reading
On June 14, 2019, the Federal Reserve Board (“Federal Reserve”) released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (“NPR”) requesting public comment on updates to its regulations governing the disclosure of confidential supervisory information (“CSI”) and its Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) procedures. Although the Federal Reserve classified many of the proposed revisions as “clarifications” or “technical … Continue Reading
On February 13, the European Commission published a list of 23 jurisdictions that it views as posing “significant threats to the financial system of the [European] Union” in the area of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (“AML/CFT”). On the same day, the U.S. Treasury Department issued a press statement in which it advised that it … Continue Reading
On September 11, 2018, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (the “Bureau”, and, collectively, the “Agencies”) issued a statement “clarifying the role of supervisory guidance.” The release … Continue Reading
See our article in BNA’s Banking Report, Defining ‘Abusive’ Acts and Practices, which sheds light on the prohibition on ‘‘abusive’’ acts or practices in the Dodd-Frank Act. The article first appeared in BNA’s Banking Report on February 13, 2017.… Continue Reading
The CFPB issued a compliance bulletin on November 28, 2016 warning supervised companies about the potential compliance risks of production and sales incentives provided to employees and service providers. Although the CFPB “invite[d] further dialogue and discussion,” the bulletin highlights incentive practices as a continued area of scrutiny for the CFPB. In recent testimony to … Continue Reading
The election of Donald J. Trump as President, along with continued Republican control of the Senate and House of Representatives, promises to bring change to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”). The transition at the FDIC should be gradual due to the structure of the agency’s board of directors. The five-person board consists of three … Continue Reading
The D.C. Circuit Court’s decision in PHH Corp., et al. v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau deals a major blow to the CFPB and represents a victory for financial services industry. Although the Court’s constitutional holding may dominate the headlines, the most significant aspects of the Court’s decision for the industry are the limits on the … Continue Reading
