On December 7, 2020, several bank and credit union trade associations (collectively, the “Associations”) submitted a joint letter (the “Letter”) to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) opposing the...more
On July 31, 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) approved the national bank charter application of Varo Bank, N.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of fintech Varo Money, Inc. The approved application is for a...more
On July 31, 2020, Varo Money Inc. announced that it was granted a national bank charter by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The charter will allow Varo, a mobile banking fintech, to launch a national...more
On February 7, all-mobile banking services startup Varo Money, Inc. (“Varo”) received the FDIC’s approval of its federal deposit insurance application for Varo Bank, N.A. (in formation) (the “Bank”). The FDIC’s approval...more
The Situation: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") has appealed a decision from the Southern District of New York that concluded that the OCC lacks the authority to grant "Fintech Charters" to nondepository...more
There have been a handful of recent marketplace lending developments that indicate that the legal uncertainties in the post-Madden world are not going away anytime soon....more
Whenever discussing bank charter types, I’m reminded of a comparison made by Walt Moeling. Walt would always say that the bank charter choice is like choosing between a Ford and a Chevy truck. There are strong, die-hard...more
Last fall, we reported that one fintech company – Varo Money, Inc. – a mobile banking startup helping customers solve financial problems, manage money and reach financial goals, applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the...more
Earlier this summer the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued the anticipated announcement that fintech companies engaged in the business of banking may apply for special purpose national bank charters. ...more
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced that it would begin accepting national bank charter applications from non-depository FinTech companies that seek to engage in the business of banking. In...more
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced on July 31 that it will begin accepting applications for special purpose national bank charters from nondepository financial technology companies (fintechs) that are...more
On July 31, 2018 the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that, effective immediately, it is now accepting national bank charter applications from nondepository financial technology (fintech) companies...more
The Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) presented a White Paper in December 2016 on Exploring Special Purpose National Bank Charters for Fintech Companies (“White Paper”). Comptroller Tom Curry noted that he had asked the OCC...more
On October 27, 2017, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued a full-service national bank charter since the financial crisis to Winter Park National Bank. Winter Park National Bank is the first de novo...more
During recent months, Kilpatrick Townsend Partner Christina Gattuso and Counsel Eamonn Moran have provided regular updates regarding the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) decision to move forward with...more
A topic of increasing interest in recent months and weeks has been whether and if fintech companies would seek to obtain a bank charter of some sort. The recent decisions by Social Finance Inc. (SoFi) and Square, Inc. to...more
In May, Kilpatrick Townsend Partner Christina Gattuso and Counsel Eamonn Moran discussed the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) decision to move forward with considering applications from financial technology...more
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the OCC) has released a draft supplement to its Licensing Manual that explains the process for an entity engaged in financial technology—or FinTech—activities to charter a...more
The New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) has come out strongly against an Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) proposal to grant national bank charters to financial technology (fintech)...more
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") announced on December 20, 2016 that it is adopting a final rule to implement provisions of the National Bank Act that provide the legal framework for receiverships for...more
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency ("OCC") announced on Friday, December 2, that it seeks comments on whether it should grant "special purpose" national bank charters to financial technology companies. Some of the...more
On December 19th, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a final rule regarding how it will address receiverships of special purpose national banks which do not have deposits insured by the Federal Deposit...more
On December 2, 2016, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced its willingness to entertain applications from financial technology (fintech) companies for special purpose national bank charters. In recent...more