The federal banking agencies, including the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively the “Agencies”), issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (“Agencies’ NPRM”) to modernize financial institutions’ anti-money laundering and countering terrorist financing (“AML/CFT”) programs.… Continue Reading
Federal Reserve Board
Supreme Court opens the door for more APA challenges by ruling that the right of action accrues when the rule first causes injury
On July 1, 2024, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in Corner Post, Inc. v Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in which the Court determined when a Section 702 claim under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) to challenge a final agency action first accrues. In a 6-3 Opinion, the Supreme Court sided with Corner Post in holding that a right of action first accrues when the plaintiff has the right to assert it in court—and in the case of the APA, that is when the plaintiff is injured by final agency action.… Continue Reading
Federal banking agencies issue guide to third-party risk management practices for community banks
On May 3, 2024, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) jointly released the “Third-Party Risk Management: A Guide for Community Banks” (the “Guide”), presenting it as a resource for community banks to bolster their third-party risk management programs, policies, and practices.… Continue Reading
Districts of Wyoming and Idaho affirm broad Fed powers over master accounts
Components of the U.S. Federal Reserve System recently prevailed in two lawsuits in which both plaintiffs – Custodia Bank and PayServices Bank – alleged the defendants were required to grant the plaintiffs’ master account requests and wrongfully denied them master accounts. Both the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming and the United States District Court for the District of Idaho rejected these claims and instead ruled as a matter of law that the respective regional Federal Reserve Banks had discretion to deny the plaintiffs’ requests for a master account. … Continue Reading
TX federal court enjoins enforcement of CRA final rules against plaintiffs
On February 5, 2024, several national and Texas banking and business trade groups (Plaintiffs) filed a lawsuit challenging the final regulations (Final Rules) implementing the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) that were jointly adopted in October 2023 by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Federal Reserve Board (Agencies).… Continue Reading
Are four digits enough? FinCEN seeks comments on CIP rule’s SSN collection requirement
On March 28, 2024, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), in consultation with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the National Credit Union Administration, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, issued a request for information (RFI).
The RFI seeks information and comment regarding the Customer Identification Program (CIP) Rule requirement that banks collect a full Social Security number (SSN) prior to account opening from a customer who is an individual and a U.S.… Continue Reading
ABA and State Bankers Associations ask Federal Reserve to withdraw its debit card interchange proposed rule
The American Bankers Association (ABA) along with 50 state bankers associations, the DC Bankers Association and Puerto Rico Bankers Association sent a letter (the “ABA Letter”) to the Federal Reserve “in strong opposition to the Federal Reserve’s misguided proposal to reduce the regulated interchange cap under Regulation II, and to ask that the proposal be withdrawn pending a rigorous study of this proposal’s impacts and the cumulative impacts of the tsunami of newly finalized and pending regulations from the banking agencies.”… Continue Reading
Senator Durbin attempts to revive Durbin 2.0 with Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in April and solicits testimony from Visa, Mastercard, United Airlines and American Airlines CEOs
On April 9, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on credit card competition. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) requested testimony at the hearing from the following Chief Executive Officers who have publicly opposed his Credit Card Competition Act: Ryan McInerney (Visa), Michael Miebach (Mastercard), Scott Kirby (United Airlines), and Robert Isom (American Airlines).… Continue Reading
Trade groups file lawsuit in Texas federal court challenging final OCC/FDIC/Federal Reserve Community Reinvestment Act rules
Several national and Texas banking and business trade groups have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas challenging the final regulations (Final Rules) implementing the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) that were jointly adopted in October 2023 by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Federal Reserve Board (Agencies). … Continue Reading
New research suggests proposed Regulation II revisions lowering debit card interchange fees will cost consumers up to $2 billion annually
In October 2023, the Federal Reserve Board issued a proposal to lower the maximum interchange fee that a large debit card issuer can receive for a debit card transaction. The due date for comments on this proposal, originally February 12, 2024, has been extended to May 12, 2024. The Consumer Bankers Association (CBA) recently commissioned research on debit card interchange fee limits and the potential implications if the proposal to reduce debit interchange caps is finalized.… Continue Reading