Ronald K. Vaske

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The CFPB has published a table that shows the overdraft/NSF practices of the 20 banks with the most overdraft/NSF revenue through the first three quarters of 2021.  According to the CFPB, the table reflects over 80% of the total overdraft/NSF fees earned by banks with assets over $1 billion.  The information in the table is based on publicly available information, including press releases, publicly available account disclosures, and news reports.… Continue Reading

A California federal district court judge has rejected challenges to the OCC’s and FDIC’s Madden-fix rules brought in two separate lawsuits by state attorneys general.  The OCC rule is codified at 12 C.F.R. Section 7.4001(e) and the FDIC rule is codified at 12 C.F.R. Section 160.110(d).  The rules provide that a loan made by a national bank, federal savings association, or federally-insured state-chartered bank that is permissible under applicable federal law (Section 85 of the National Bank Act (NBA) or Section 27 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (FDIA)) is not affected by the sale, assignment, or other transfer of the loan.… Continue Reading

The CFPB has published a “Request for Information Regarding Fees Imposed by Providers of Consumer Financial Products or Services.”  Comments on the RFI must be submitted by March 31, 2022.

On February 17, 2022, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET, Ballard Spahr will hold a webinar, “The CFPB’s Inquiry into “Junk Fees”: What It Means for Consumer Financial Services Providers.” … Continue Reading

Ballard Spahr attorneys have now completed a months-long project in updating and expanding a 2017 White Paper addressing bank-model lending—programs involving partnerships between banks (or savings associations) and fintech or other nonbank companies in the interstate delivery of loans.

The new White Paper, which runs 49 pages single-spaced, is designed to serve as a comprehensive survey of laws, cases and regulatory attitudes addressing bank-model lending.  … Continue Reading

The CFPB, Federal Reserve Board, FDIC NCUA, OCC, in conjunction with the state bank and state credit union regulators, jointly issued a statement on managing the transition away from LIBOR (Joint Statement).

In 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the regulator that oversees the panel of banks on whose submissions LIBOR is based, announced that it would discontinue LIBOR sometime after 2021.… Continue Reading

The White House announced this past Thursday that President Biden has nominated Saule Omarova to serve as Comptroller of the Currency.

Ms. Omarova is currently a law professor at Cornell University, where she serves as the Director of the Program on the Law and Regulation of Financial Institutions and Markets of Cornell’s Jack Clarke Institute for the Study and Practice of Business Law. … Continue Reading

Last week, the Federal Reserve Board published a paper on partnerships between community banks and fintech companies, “Community Bank Access to Innovation through Partnerships.”  The Fed’s publication of the paper is another indication of the increased attention that regulators are paying to bank relationships with fintechs.  It follows the publication at the end of last month of a guide by the Fed, OCC, and FDIC that is intended to assist community banks in conducting due diligence when considering relationships with fintechs.… Continue Reading

The OCC, FDIC, and Federal Reserve Board have issued a guide that is intended to assist community banks in conducting due diligence when considering relationships with financial technology (fintech) companies (Guide).

The issuance of the Guide follows the agencies’ July 2021 release of proposed interagency guidance for banking organizations on managing risks associated with third-party relationships, including relationships with financial technology-focused entities such as bank/fintech sponsorship arrangements. … Continue Reading

This past Tuesday, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu appeared as a witness at the Senate Banking Committee’s hearing, “Oversight of Regulators: Does our Financial System Work for Everyone?”

In his written and oral testimony, Mr. Hsu stressed as an overall theme the need for the OCC to prohibit “predatory and discriminatory practices while promoting financial inclusion.”  … Continue Reading

On Thursday, July 29, the Senate Banking Committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Protecting Americans from Debt Traps by Extending the Military’s 36% Interest Rate Cap to Everyone.”

The scheduled witnesses for the first panel are Republican Congressman Glenn Grothman and Democratic Congressman Jesús G. “Chuy” García.  The scheduled witness for the second panel are:

  • Holly Petraeus, Former Assistant Director for Servicemember Affairs, CFPB
  • Ashley Harrington, Federal Advocacy Director and Senior Counsel, Center for Responsible Lending
  • Richard Williams, President/CEO, Essential Federal Credit Union
  • Bill Himpler, President & CEO, American Financial Services Association
  • Professor Thomas W.
… Continue Reading