In case you haven’t had your eye on matters of global intrigue of late, figured we’d get you a bit caught up so that you know why your gas prices are heading north in the next couple of weeks....more
The SEC will vote today on what it’s calling Regulation Best Interest, “which says brokers can’t put their own paychecks ahead of a customer’s needs”—the more-industry-acceptable revision of an Obama-era fiduciary duty rule...more
As widely expected, the Fed held rates steady when it wrapped its Open Market Committee meeting yesterday afternoon and deemed the economy “in good health,” laying the groundwork for another rate increase next month....more
In order to comply with European antitrust rulings against it earlier this year, Google announced that for the first time it will begin charging telephone handset manufacturers to install Gmail, Google Maps, and other popular...more
Breakingviews suggests that the devil is definitely in the details in Sempra Energy’s apparent winning bid for Oncor. Control of the company, for example, isn’t as simple as it might seem....more
Goldman Sachs’ recent purchase of $2.8 billion in Venezuelan bonds has been kicking around the headlines for a few days now. Here’s what’s at stake for the country and the bank....more
Financial Industry Developments - Federal Reserve Board Announces Finalized Rule Adjusting the Board's Maximum Civil Money Penalties - On January 18, 2017, the Federal Reserve Board announced that it was adjusting...more
Federal Reserve Announces Extension of Conformance Period under Section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act - On July 7, 2016, the Federal Reserve announced that it will extend until July 21, 2017 the conformance period...more
SEC Adopts Trade Acknowledgment and Verification Rules for Security-Based Swap Transactions - On June 8, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission publicized the implementation of "rules that will establish timely and...more
Federal Reserve, OCC, FCA, FHFA and FDIC Adopt Joint Final Rule on Swap Margin Requirements - On October 22, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the "OCC"), the Federal Reserve Board (the "Board"), the Farm...more
Effective December 24, 2015, all securitizations of residential mortgage loans (RMBS), both public and private, will be subject to the Credit Risk Retention Rule (the “Rule”).[1] The Rule was promulgated on December 24, 2014,...more
SEC Provides Additional Analysis Related to Proposed Pay Ratio Disclosure Rules - On June 4, the Securities and Exchange Commission provided additional analysis related to its proposed rules for pay ratio disclosure. The...more
EBA Outlines Upcoming Initiatives for the Regulation of Retail Payments - The European Banking Authority ("EBA") has announced details of its plans to harmonize regulatory and supervisory practices to ensure secure, easy...more
ICMA Issues Updated Legal Opinions On GMRA - On April 9, the International Capital Market Association (ICMA) published the 2015 legal opinions on the Global Master Repurchase Agreement (GMRA), the principal standard...more
Bank of America and Merrill Lynch Settle RMBS Lawsuit with FDIC - On November 17, Bank of America and Merrill Lynch settled securities claims brought by the FDIC related to RMBS sold to United Western Bank. The FDIC,...more
On October 21 and 22, the Fed, HUD, FDIC, FHFA, OCC, and SEC jointly approved final risk retention rules. The final rules, which implement Section 941 of Dodd Frank, generally follow the re-proposed rules issued in August...more
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Department of Housing and Urban Development, Federal Housing Finance Agency, and...more
ESMA Final Draft RTS for Central Clearing of Interest Rate Swaps under EMIR - On October 2, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published a report containing final draft regulatory technical standards...more
ESMA Publishes Guidelines on the EU Implementation of CPSS-IOSCO Principles - On September 4, ESMA published the translation of guidelines and recommendations on implementing the principles for financial market...more
Bank of England Launches New Framework to Test for Cyber Vulnerabilities - On June 10, the Bank of England launched a new framework to help identify areas where the financial sector could be vulnerable to sophisticated...more
FMLC Publishes Response on Bail-in Powers - In response to a consultation by HM Treasury, the UK's Financial Markets Law Committee (FMLC) published a letter on June 4 relating to the bail-in powers introduced by the...more
Agencies Apply Increased Leverage Ratio to Large U.S. Banks - On April 8, the Fed, FDIC and OCC adopted the final rule to increase the leverage ratio for the largest U.S. banks. The final rule applies to U.S. bank...more
CFTC Proposed Rule on Commodity Pools - On November 5, the CFTC issued a proposed rule that would require that all registered introducing brokers (IBs), commodity pool operators (CPOs) and commodity trading advisors...more
The Fed Approves New Fee Schedules - On October 31, the Fed announced new fee schedules, effective January 2, 2014, for payment services the Federal Reserve Banks provide to depository institutions (priced services). ...more
Joint Proposal on Risk Retention - On August 28, the FDIC, Fed, FHFA, OCC, SEC and HUD issued a notice of revised proposed rulemaking relating to required risk retention by sponsors in securitization transactions. The...more