The partial federal government shutdown could affect the timing of processing of certain new merger and acquisition applications by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Board”). Pursuant to special procedures outlined in a December 2018 notice, the Office of the Federal Register is not publishing documents during the partial government shutdown … Continue Reading
On December 3, 2018, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), the National Credit Union Administration (“NCUA”), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) (collectively, “agencies”) released a joint statement on innovative efforts to combat money … Continue Reading
On November 30, 2018, the Federal Reserve requested comments on a new application form—the FR LL-10(e)—for savings and loan holding companies (“SLHCs”). The new form would replace Form H-(e), which was inherited from the Office of Thrift Supervision when the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act transferred supervisory authority for SHLCs to the … Continue Reading
In a November 9, 2018 speech, Federal Reserve Vice Chairman for Supervision Randal K. Quarles outlined potential adjustments to the revisions to the capital planning regime that the Federal Reserve proposed in April 2018. Governor Quarles also said he will ask the Federal Reserve to exempt banks with less than $250 billion in assets from … Continue Reading
On October 31, 2018, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Board”) released two draft notices of proposed rulemaking (“NPRs”) to tailor its enhanced prudential standards (“EPS”) in accordance with Section 401 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”). One NPR, issued by only the Board, would tailor the … Continue Reading
On September 10, 2018, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) released a proposed rule to implement section 206 of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, codified in section 5A of the Home Owners’ Loan Act (“HOLA”). Section 5A permits a federal savings association with total consolidated assets of $20 … Continue Reading
Following enactment of the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act (“EGRRCPA”) in May 2018, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“FRB”), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC” and collectively, the “Agencies”), have begun the process of implementing the regulatory relief … Continue Reading
On July 16, 2018, Republican and Democratic leadership of the House Financial Services Committee announced that they have reached agreement to advance a package of financial services reforms known as the “JOBS Act 3.0,” consisting of 32 pieces of legislation that have passed the Committee or the full House with bipartisan support. While much of … Continue Reading
In a little noticed, but important, speech, the Federal Reserve’s Vice Chairman for Supervision, Randal K. Quarles, reaffirmed late last month that the Fed remains committed to continued collaboration with international financial regulators. International cooperation through, for example, the Basel Committee and the Financial Stability Board (FSB), has been a key pillar of post-financial crisis … Continue Reading
On May 30, 2018, the Federal Reserve Board approved a notice of proposed rulemaking aimed at simplifying regulations implementing section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act (12 U.S.C. 1851), also known as the “Volcker Rule” (or the “Rule”). Enacted as part of the Dodd-Frank Act following the financial crisis of 2008, the Volcker Rule … Continue Reading
Today the Federal Reserve issued its semiannual regulatory flexibility agenda for fall 2017, which lists regulatory matters the agency anticipates having under consideration during the period from November 1, 2017 through April 30, 2018. The agenda is notable in two respects. First, the Federal Reserve anticipates issuing, together with the Office of the Comptroller of … Continue Reading
On December 7, 2017, the Federal Reserve announced that it will eliminate the use of the Strength of Support Assessment (or “SOSA” rating) as a supervisory tool. The SOSA rating measures the extent to which a foreign banking organization (“FBO”) is in a position to provide support to its U.S. branches, agencies, and subsidiary banks, … Continue Reading
On December 7, 2017, the Federal Reserve released three proposals that would increase the transparency of its stress test exercises, including the Dodd-Frank Act Stress Tests (“DFAST”) and Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (“CCAR”). The proposals are comprised of: (1) enhancements to the Federal Reserve’s disclosures regarding its stress test models, (2) amendments to the … Continue Reading
On September 6, 2017, the Federal Reserve System (“FRS”) published a paper that identifies updated strategies and tactics for improving the U.S. payments system. The paper, entitled Strategies for Improving the U.S. Payment System: Federal Reserve Next Steps in the Payments Improvement Journey, refines the strategies set forth in a previous FRS paper, Strategies for … Continue Reading
On August 3, 2017, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (“Federal Reserve”) released a proposal regarding its supervisory expectations for the boards of directors of bank holding companies, savings and loan holding companies, state member banks, U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banks, and non-bank systemically important financial institutions supervised by the … Continue Reading
This morning, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) released a Request for Information (“RFI”) to determine how regulations implementing the Volcker Rule should be revised to better accomplish the purposes of the statute. The OCC’s release notes that the information the agency is soliciting could support revisions to the regulation that are consistent … Continue Reading
On Thursday, July 13, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen testified before the Senate Banking Committee. During this hearing, Chair Yellen stated that the Federal Reserve (the “Fed”) is open to modifying the threshold for designating banks as systematically important financial institutions (“SIFIs”). She reiterated that the Fed would not oppose raising the current asset threshold—which … Continue Reading
On June 27, 2017, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (collectively, the “Agencies”) proposed revisions to their Call Report forms for insured depository institutions. The proposed changes are intended to align Call Reports with a recent accounting change and … Continue Reading
Federal financial agencies are taking steps to reevaluate the Volcker Rule as part of the Trump Administration’s review of financial regulations. In a May 8, 2017 meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin reportedly directed the five agencies responsible for the Volcker Rule – the Board of Governors of the Federal … Continue Reading
On Friday, April 21, President Donald Trump signed two presidential memoranda, directing the Secretary of the Treasury (the “Secretary”), Steve Mnuchin, to review two major provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act: orderly liquidation authority (“OLA”) for financial companies under Title II, and the decision-making processes of the Financial Stability Oversight Council (“FSOC”). Consistent with the Trump … Continue Reading
On April 4, 2017, Federal Reserve Board Governor Daniel K. Tarullo gave his final speech as a governor before his departure from the Board the next day. Governor Tarullo, widely considered the “most influential Wall Street regulator” during his term as governor, took the lead for the Federal Reserve in developing the agency’s most significant … Continue Reading
On March 30, 2017, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (“BCBS”) issued a consultative document to revise the methodology it uses to measure the systemic importance of internationally active banks. The BCBS methodology incorporates various quantitative indicators of a bank’s “Cross-Jurisdictional Activity,” “Size,” “Interconnectedness,” “Substitutability,” and “Complexity” to arrive at a single score of each … Continue Reading
Today, both the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) published guidance addressing the agencies’ “expectations for compliance” with minimum variation margin requirements for non-cleared swaps that become effective March 1, 2017. The guidance is relevant to any swap dealer registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) for which … Continue Reading
On December 14, 2016, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows released a special report (the “Report”) detailing over 200 rules, regulations, and executive orders the Caucus recommends that President-Elect Donald Trump should examine, revoke, or issue in his first 100 days in office. The report targets for repeal a diverse set of regulations finalized or … Continue Reading
