Zayne Tweed

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On May 3, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, the agencies) released a guidebook aimed at assisting community banks in managing risks associated with third-party relationships (the TPRM Guide). The TPRM Guide builds upon the principles introduced in the third-party risk management guidance for banking organizations issued by the agencies in June 2023 (the June 2023 Guidance, discussed here) as well as the agencies’ community bank guide for conducting due diligence on fintech companies from October 2023 (discussed here) but does not displace or substitute that prior guidance.

On March 29, a Texas federal court granted a preliminary injunction enjoining the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, the agencies) from implementing their Final Rule modernizing how they assess lenders’ compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Notably, the court found the plaintiffs demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the claim that the Final Rule violates the CRA, indicating how the district court will likely find on the merits.

Today, a divided Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) Board of Directors issued a proposed Statement of Policy (SOP) on bank merger transactions that would create a combined bank with more than $100 billion in assets. The proposed SOP would replace the FDIC’s current SOP on bank merger transactions and proposes a principles-based overview that describes…

In a recent speech at Vanderbilt University, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu discussed his views on the potential risk of financial instability due to the merging boundaries between banking and commerce. In his speech, Comptroller Hsu underscored the importance of vigilance, especially in the realms of payments and private credit/equity, where he predicts the risk of this ‘blurring’ is most imminent. The Comptroller also advocated for the analytic framework recently adopted by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) as having the greatest potential to identify and address emerging financial stability risks.

Yesterday, the Texas Bankers Association, the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, the American Bankers Association, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, the Longview Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Community Bankers of America, and the Independent Bankers Association of Texas Revenue Based Finance Coalition (collectively, the plaintiffs) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas challenging the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (collectively, the agencies) Final Rule modernizing how they assess lenders’ compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). In their complaint, the plaintiffs asked the court to vacate the Final Rule and provide a preliminary injunction that would pause implementation of the Final Rule while the court decides the case.

As discussed here, on October 24, the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency finally issued their long-awaited final rule modernizing how they assess lenders’ compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The CRA regulations had not been updated since 1995.

On January 29, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding its review of business combinations under the Bank Merger Act (BMA). Specifically, the OCC proposed: (i) amendments to 12 C.F.R. § 5.33 to remove provisions related to expedited review and the use of streamlined business combination applications subject to BMA review; and (ii) the adoption of an official policy statement setting forth general principles the OCC will use in its review of applications subject to the BMA. If adopted as proposed, the rulemaking will likely lead to longer approval timelines for certain national bank transactions, particularly for mergers involving well-managed, well-capitalized community banks, internal corporate reorganizations, and branch acquisitions that would have otherwise been able to take advantage of expedited review. Currently, assuming certain criteria are met, a BMA filing that qualifies as a business reorganization eligible for a streamlined application is deemed approved on the 15th day after the close of the comment period, unless the OCC notifies the applicant that the filing is not eligible for expedited review or the expedited review process is extended. However, if the rulemaking is adopted as proposed, § 5.33 would be amended to remove the procedures for expedited review and the use of streamlined applications.

On January 18, at an event hosted by Columbia University Law School, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu discussed liquidity risk at banks and described potential “targeted regulatory enhancements” that would require midsize and large banks to have sufficient liquidity to cover “ultra-short-term” stress outflows over a five-day period. The rationale for the enhancements stem from last year’s large bank failures and are intended to ensure that updated liquidity and risk management practices are implemented and sustained across midsize and large banks.

On January 17, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a bulletin advising banks on how to prepare for the upcoming shortening in the standard securities settlement cycle for most U.S. securities transactions. This is in response to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adoption of final rules that shorten the standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer transactions from the second business day after the trade date (T+2) to the first business day after the trade date (T+1). The SEC has approved a similar rule change by the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB) to the settlement cycle for municipal securities, which has shortened the regular-way settlement for municipal securities transactions to T+1. The OCC expects banks to be prepared to meet T+1 standards as of May 28, 2024.

On January 8, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced adjustments to the maximum amount of each civil money penalty (CMP) within its jurisdiction. The 2015 Adjustment Act requires federal agencies with CMP authority to annually adjust each CMP to account for inflation in accordance with the guidance published by the Office of Management and Budget. The adjusted maximum penalties are effective immediately for violations occurring on or after November 2, 2015. The OCC adjustment does not affect the OCC’s discretion to assess a CMP lower than the maximum allowed. Further, with respect to community banks, the OCC retains discretion to impose inflation-adjusted maximum CMPs, as appropriate