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As we previously reported, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) rescinded its 2020 Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) final rule (the “2020 CRA Final Rule” or the “Rescinded Rule”) in December 2021 and has since been operating under a CRA framework largely based on the OCC’s 1995 CRA rule (the “1995 Rule”), which was adopted jointly with the Federal Reserve and the FDIC. … Continue Reading

The CFPB, FTC, DOJ, and Federal Reserve Board have filed a joint amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit urging the court to reverse a district court ruling that an individual who had already received credit from the defendant and who was not currently applying to the defendant for credit was not an “applicant” for purposes of the ECOA’s adverse action notice requirement.… Continue Reading

As anticipated, the OCC, Federal Reserve Board, and FDIC recently approved and released the Final Rule Requiring Computer-Security Incident Notification (“Final Rule”).  The Final Rule is designed to promote early awareness and stop computer security incidents before they become systemic.  It places new reporting requirements on both U.S. banking organizations, as well as bank service providers.    

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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

Last week, the OCC, Federal Reserve Board, and FDIC issued proposed guidance for banking organizations on managing risks associated with third-party relationships, including those with financial technology-focused entities such as bank/fintech sponsorship arrangements.  The agencies have made clear that if banks have ineffective risk management processes, agency examiners will closely scrutinize their third-party risk management and identify and report deficiencies in examination reports and recommend appropriate supervisory actions.… Continue Reading

Mr. Dougherty recently authored an article calling for the OCC’s abolishment and merger into the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.  After reviewing the history of the creation of the OCC and Federal Reserve Banks, we examine and debate Mr. Dougherty’s arguments in support of his position.  We also discuss and respond to Mr.… Continue Reading

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System recently issued and invited public comment on proposed guidelines to be used by Federal Reserve Banks to evaluate requests for master accounts and/or access to Federal Reserve Bank (Fed) financial services, in order to support a more “transparent and consistent” approach to such requests.… Continue Reading

The Fed’s final rule implementing the Durbin Amendment (Regulation II) went into effect in October 2011.  Nearly ten years later, the final rule is still provoking controversy in the form of a new lawsuit and proposed amendments to the rule and its official commentary.

The Durbin Amendment (Section 1075 of Dodd-Frank) authorized the Fed to issue regulations to ensure that the amount of any interchange fee received by a large debit card issuer (one with at least $10 billion of assets, together with its affiliates) is reasonable and proportional to the cost incurred by the issuer. … Continue Reading

The Fed, FDIC, and OCC have issued a “Statement on Reference Rates for Loans” that addresses replacement rates for the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR).  LIBOR, which many creditors currently use as the index for calculating the interest rate on credit cards and other variable-rate consumer credit products, is expected to be discontinued sometime after 2021.… Continue Reading