Acting Comptroller Argues for Removing Separation Between Banking and Commerce

Federal Issues OCC Banking

On November 8, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith A. Noreika addressed The Clearing House Annual Conference in New York, New York and called for an end to the separation between banking and commerce. Noreika noted that the topic may be considered “taboo” to banking regulators but nonetheless offered “an alternative to the popular narrative.” In his speech, Noreika acknowledged that the premise of the separation is to avoid the risks associated with entangling federally insured deposits with unreliable commercial enterprises. However, he argued, “the recent financial crisis actually demonstrated that there is nothing inherently safer about separating banking and commerce or traditional banking and investment banking,” and further noted that allowing for commingling could generate efficiencies and improve banking economic performance.