On January 1, 2025, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey approved House Bill No. 4840, which repeals and replaces Massachusetts’ money transmission law with a revised law (MTL Law), which is based in part on the model Money...more
1/17/2025
/ Amended Legislation ,
Banking Sector ,
Compliance ,
CSBS ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Licensing Rules ,
Money Transmission Act ,
Payment Systems ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements
This article identifies themes we have observed in recent public formal enforcement actions issued to institutions by the US federal bank regulatory agencies (Agencies) — the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System...more
8/9/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Compliance ,
Consent Order ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Priorities ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
FinTech ,
Global Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs) ,
Internal Controls ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Risk Management ,
Supervision
Supervision is a daily fact of life for bank boards and management. Below, we offer strategies for how both board members and members of management can ensure that the supervisory process goes as smoothly as possible....more
On December 21, 2023, the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule (Access Rule) regarding access to the beneficial ownership information (BOI) reported to FinCEN...more
1/4/2024
/ Banking Sector ,
Beneficial Owner ,
BSA/AML ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
Effective Date ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
Joint Policy Statements ,
National Security ,
Penalties ,
Reporting Requirements ,
U.S. Treasury
On October 3, 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) approved proposed guidelines establishing standards for corporate governance and risk management for covered institutions with total assets of $10 billion...more
On July 27, 2023, the Federal Reserve, FDIC, and OCC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment on a proposal (the Proposal) to implement the final components of the Basel III Capital Accords, often...more
8/4/2023
/ Banking Crisis ,
Banking Regulators ,
Banking Sector ,
Basel III ,
Capital Requirements ,
Comment Period ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Large Financial Institutions (LFIs) ,
OCC ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Silicon Valley ,
Systemic Risk Buffer
Since the failure of Silicon Valley Bank in March of this year, there has been a renewed focus on Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) deposit insurance coverage, including arrangements that provide so-called...more
Silicon Valley Bank was a leading bank for the tech and life science sectors and for many of the venture capitalists who invest in those sectors. The bank’s abrupt disclosure on Wednesday, March 8, of significant losses on...more
3/17/2023
/ Asset Management ,
Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Deposit Accounts ,
Deposit Insurance ,
Depository Institutions ,
FDIC ,
Insolvency ,
Receivership ,
Relief Measures ,
Silicon Valley
What actions did the US government take on Sunday with respect to Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank?
On Sunday, March 12, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve, and the US Treasury Department announced that the US...more
3/15/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Deposit Accounts ,
Deposit Insurance ,
Depository Institutions ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Insolvency ,
Loans ,
Receivership ,
Relief Measures ,
Silicon Valley ,
U.S. Treasury
In This Issue. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) announced (1) a notice of proposed rulemaking for beneficial ownership information reporting requirements and (2) a regulatory process for new real estate...more
12/10/2021
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Amended Rules ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banking Sector ,
Beneficial Owner ,
Broker-Dealer ,
BSA/AML ,
CFTC ,
Comment Period ,
Continuing Education ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Transparency Act ,
FDIC ,
FFIEC ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Foreign Corporations ,
Libor ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
OCC ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Registration Requirement ,
Regulation Z ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Secured Overnight Funding Rate (SOFR) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
In This Issue. The Treasury Department’s Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) issued a report acknowledging climate change as threat to financial stability; Federal Reserve Governor Michelle Bowman advocates for...more
10/29/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Climate Change ,
Community Banks ,
Community Reinvestment Act ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
ETFs ,
Federal Reserve ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FSOC ,
Mutual Funds ,
OCC ,
Payment Systems ,
Regulation Z ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Treasury
In This Issue. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), in response to an increased number of inquiries and access requests from companies with fintech and other narrow purpose charters, invited...more
5/7/2021
/ Acquisitions ,
AMG Capital Management LLC v FTC ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Banking Sector ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Cash Transactions ,
Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Depository Institutions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Enforcement Authority ,
Federal Reserve ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinCEN ,
FinTech ,
FTC Act ,
FTCA Section 13(b) ,
Geographic Targeting Order ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Lenders ,
Loan Applications ,
Mergers ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Payment Services Directive ,
Permanent Injunctions ,
Pre-Dispute Arbitration ,
Private Placements ,
Public Comment ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Residential Real Estate Market ,
SBA ,
SCOTUS ,
Title Insurance ,
Unregistered Securities
In This Issue. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted preliminary conditional approval to a third cryptocurrency firm chartering a national trust bank; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)...more
5/4/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
Banking Sector ,
Closed-End Funds ,
COBRA ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Depository Institutions ,
Final Rules ,
Income Taxes ,
Investment Funds ,
Investors ,
Mortgages ,
National Bank Charters ,
NYSE ,
OCC ,
Private Funds ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Qualified Mortgage Rule
In This Issue. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Examinations issued a Risk Alert raising concerns about misleading Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) disclosures by investment firms; the...more
4/20/2021
/ Advertising ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banking Sector ,
BSA/AML ,
Comment Period ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Fannie Mae ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Freddie Mac ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Public Comment ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Alert ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Supervisory Guidance
In this Issue. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a statement announcing its intention to revisit Trump-era qualified mortgage (QM) final rules; the Biden Administration announced changes to the Small...more
2/26/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Board of Governors ,
Close-Ended Funds ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Credit Rating Agencies ,
Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL) ,
Deposit Insurance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Exclusions ,
Fair Value Standard ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Good Faith ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Internal Controls ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
Mortgages ,
No-Action Letters ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Proxy Materials ,
Qualified Mortgage Rule ,
SBA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
In this Issue. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) delayed publication of the “fair access” rule finalized late in the Trump Administration; the OCC also announced the availability of the 2021 list of bank...more
2/9/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
California Consumer Financial Protection Law (CCFPL) ,
Community Reinvestment Act ,
Debt Collection ,
Debtors ,
Delays ,
Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) ,
Fair Access to Credit ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
OCC ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Proposed Rules ,
SBA ,
Securities Regulation ,
Trump Administration ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices
In this Issue. In one of its first acts after being installed on January 20, the Biden Administration issued a regulatory freeze on new agency rules that have been adopted but are not yet effective; in one of its final acts...more
1/29/2021
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Appeals ,
Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Borrowers ,
Carried Interest ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Relief ,
Debtors ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Access to Credit ,
FDIC ,
Fees ,
Final Report ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Lenders ,
Misrepresentation ,
Mortgage Lenders ,
New Rules ,
OCC ,
Popular ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Freeze ,
Ripple ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Student Loans ,
Supervisory Guidance ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) ,
Unlawful Practices ,
Unregistered Securities ,
Virtual Currency
In this Issue. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued guidance on its authority to charter limited purpose trust companies, raising the possibility that a limited purpose national bank could be organized...more
1/15/2021
/ Banking Sector ,
Capital Rules ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debt Instruments ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Stock Purchase Plans ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Incentive Stock Options ,
Interpretive Letters ,
MD&A Statements ,
New Guidance ,
OCC ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
TCPA ,
Terms of Service ,
U.S. Treasury
In this Issue. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finalized reforms under the Investment Advisers Act to modernize rules that govern investment adviser advertisements and payments to solicitors, and published a risk...more
1/7/2021
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Appeals ,
Banking Sector ,
Broker-Dealer ,
Cash Solicitation Rule ,
Community Reinvestment Act ,
Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Interpretive Letters ,
Investment Adviser ,
Lenders ,
OCC ,
OCIE ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Popular ,
Preemption ,
Proposed Rules ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulation Z ,
Relief Measures ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Alert ,
Safe Harbors ,
SAR ,
SEC Advertising Rule ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Violations ,
Special Purpose Entities
In this Issue. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) was busy this week, finalizing rules that modernize brokered deposits regulations, establish new standards for parent companies of industrial loan companies and...more
12/17/2020
/ §314(b) ,
Banking Sector ,
Branch Offices ,
Brokered Deposits ,
Brokers ,
Comment Period ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Consumer Loan Companies ,
Cyber Incident Reporting ,
Cybersecurity ,
Debt Collection ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Policies ,
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) ,
FDCPA ,
FDIC ,
Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies ,
Federal Reserve ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Reporting ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Historic Preservation ,
Information Sharing ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Investors ,
MD&A Statements ,
NEPA ,
NHPA ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
OCC ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Qualified Mortgage Rule ,
Registered Funds ,
SBA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs)
In the News. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a long-awaited rule seeking comment on its proposed approach to determine the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) evaluation measure benchmarks, retail...more
11/30/2020
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banking Sector ,
Benchmarks ,
Charitable Organizations ,
Comment Period ,
Community Reinvestment Act ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Debt Buyers ,
Debt Collection ,
Derivatives ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Document Retention Policies ,
Due Diligence ,
Fannie Mae ,
FDIC ,
FHFA ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Adviser ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Freddie Mac ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Investment Adviser ,
Lenders ,
MD&A Statements ,
Mutual Funds ,
Nonprofits ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
OCC ,
OCIE ,
Private Investment Funds ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Registration Statement ,
Regulation M ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulation S-T ,
Regulation Z ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Relief Measures ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Alert ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
Student Loans ,
Supervisory Guidance
In the News. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) granted a no-action letter (NAL) regarding a proposed small-dollar credit product and sought comment on the CFPB’s plan to study how consumers locate, comprehend...more
11/12/2020
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Blockchain ,
Board of Directors ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Debt Settlement Services ,
Disclosure ,
Diversity ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FDCPA ,
FDIC ,
Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies ,
Federal Reserve ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
Geographic Targeting Order ,
Interest Rates ,
Joint Statements ,
Libor ,
Loans ,
New Guidance ,
New Rules ,
No-Action Letters ,
OCC ,
Payday Loans ,
PayPal ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Real Estate Transactions ,
Shareholders ,
Small Dollar Lenders ,
Student Loans ,
Telemarketing Sales Rule ,
Title Insurance
In the News. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted broad exempt offering reforms; the Department of Labor (DOL) finalized a rule, with significant revisions from the original proposal, on ESG investments; the...more
11/5/2020
/ Banking Sector ,
Capital Formation ,
Climate Change ,
Confidential Information ,
Consent Order ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Department of Financial Services ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Derivatives ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
FDCPA ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fiduciary ,
Fiduciary Duty ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Records ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Initial Public Offering (IPO) ,
Investment Companies ,
Investment Funds ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Investors ,
Lenders ,
Main Street Lending Programs ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
OCC ,
Offerings ,
Proposed Rules ,
Public Comment ,
Registered Funds ,
Risk Management ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Small Business ,
Small Business Loans ,
UDAAP
In the News. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) finalized its “true lender” rule, which establishes that a national bank or federal savings association (bank) is the “true lender” of a loan if, as of the...more
10/29/2020
/ Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) ,
Amended Rules ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banking Sector ,
CFTC ,
Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) ,
Comptroller ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Debt Collection ,
Depository Institutions ,
Derivatives ,
FDCPA ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
FHFA ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Records ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
FinTech ,
Forbearance Agreements ,
Insured Depository Institutions ,
Inter-Bank Offered Rates (IBORs) ,
Investors ,
ISDA ,
Military Service Members ,
Mortgages ,
OCC ,
Private Investment Funds ,
Proposed Rules ,
Proxy Statements ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Shareholder Proposals ,
TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure Rule (TRID) ,
Travel Rule ,
True Lender ,
Truth in Lending Act (TILA)
In the News. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that it adopted Rule 12d1-4 under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (the 1940 Act), providing a new regulatory framework for fund-of-funds and final...more
10/22/2020
/ Asset Management ,
Auditor Independence ,
Audits ,
Bank Holding Company ,
Banking Sector ,
Brokers ,
Capital Rules ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) ,
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Depository Institutions ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Executive Orders ,
Exemptions ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Final Rules ,
Financial Stimulus ,
FinCEN ,
Finders ,
Fund of Funds ,
Gifts ,
GSE ,
Insurance Fraud ,
Interim Final Rules (IFR) ,
Investment Company Act of 1940 ,
Liquidity ,
Marketing Services Agreements ,
Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) ,
OCC ,
Promotional Items ,
Regulation S-X ,
Regulation X ,
Relief Measures ,
Reporting Requirements ,
RESPA ,
Robocalling ,
Rule 12d1-4 ,
Section 8 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
TCPA ,
TLAC ,
Trump Administration ,
UDAAP ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Unfair or Deceptive Trade Practices