On March 17, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that it has granted conditional approval for SmartBiz Loans to transform the business model of CenTrust Bank, N.A., located in Northbrook, Illinois....more
On March 7, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a significant update regarding the involvement of national banks and federal savings associations in cryptocurrency activities. Interpretive Letter 1183...more
3/13/2025
/ Banks ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Interpretive Letters ,
OCC ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management
Artificial intelligence is like a “baseline” that banks will implement for back-end operations, customer-facing tools like chatbots and digital banking services, said James Stevens, a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke....more
On January 20, Travis Hill became the Acting Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Following his remarks on FDIC policy issues on January 10 at the American Bankers Association, in his first statement...more
The most recent regulatory cycle addressed many of the BaaS sector’s weak programs and bad actors through enforcement actions the past two years, said James Stevens, a partner at law firm Troutman Pepper Locke, and that puts...more
In a significant development since our last post, Fiserv’s application for a merchant acquirer limited purpose bank (MALPB) charter has been approved by the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. This approval marks a...more
This is the second of three articles focused on a key question: as bank-fintech partnerships continue to play a vital role in driving financial services, how does the industry make this system safer and better?...more
10/4/2024
/ Bankruptcy Code ,
Banks ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Risk Management
On September 17, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced a notice of proposed rulemaking (Proposal) aimed at enhancing recordkeeping for bank deposits received from fintech and other third-party, non-bank...more
9/19/2024
/ Banks ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
New Rules ,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Third-Party
This is the first of three articles focused on a key question: as bank-fintech partnerships continue to play a vital role in driving financial services, how does the industry make this system safer and better?...more
Last week, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, the agencies) issued a joint statement highlighting...more
7/29/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Banks ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Customer Due Diligence (CDD) ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Joint Statements ,
OCC ,
Risk Management ,
Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs) ,
Third-Party Relationships
On March 29, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced two more consent orders containing provisions relating to banks’ third-party risk management programs with respect to banking as a service (BaaS)...more
On March 29, the Federal Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), in collaboration with other federal agencies, issued a Notice and Request for Information and Comment (Notice and Request) seeking public comment on its proposal...more
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) recently announced a consent order with Tennessee-based Lineage Bank containing orders relating to the bank’s third-party risk management program and its financial technology...more
On January 12, Fiserv announced that it filed an application with the state of Georgia for a merchant acquirer limited purpose bank (MALPB) charter. This application is a seismic development and positive sign for those in the...more
On September 6, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu warned that fintech and big techs partnerships and their forays into payment and lending could lead to increased risk for the banking industry. “My sense is that...more
On August 15, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) issued final guidelines, outlining the tiered approach it will use when evaluating the growing requests from fintech firms and cryptocurrency companies for access to master...more
On August 27, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, the “Agencies”) issued “Conducting Due Diligence on...more
In the future, most de novo banks in the United States will be formed by existing payments and nonbank fintech companies that provide financial services, or groups of players in those industries that want to form a payments...more
The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) of California entered a settlement agreement with Chime Financial, Inc. (Chime), a neobank company that is not licensed to operate as a bank or otherwise exempt...more
The trend of fintech companies seeking or acquiring U.S. banking licenses continues to build momentum, furthering the convergence of fintech and banking. More fintech companies are applying and being approved for banking...more
On December 15, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) issued a final rule (Final Rule) establishing a new framework for analyzing whether bank deposits obtained through third-party arrangements are brokered...more
The SEC is set to challenge the old adage — “the more things change, the more they stay the same” — with the establishment of FinHub as a standalone office.
On December 3, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)...more
On September 15, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) announced that money transmitters operating in 40 or more states will be able to take advantage of a new, comprehensive exam designed to satisfy all state money...more