Fed amends internal appeals process

Agency Rule-Making & Guidance Federal Reserve Supervision

On March 17, the Federal Reserve Board (Fed) published a final policy, which revises the internal appeals process for institutions that receive an adverse material supervisory determination, as well as its policy regarding the Fed’s Ombudsman. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the Fed requested comments on proposed amendments intended to improve and expedite the appeals process. Among other things, the final amendments (i) clarify that Matters Requiring Attention and Matters Requiring Immediate Attention “are appealable material supervisory determinations”; (ii) “permit an institution’s senior management to file an appeal, provided that management informs the institution’s board of directors of their decision to file an appeal and keeps the board informed of the status of the appeal”; (iii) “permit an institution to request an extension of time to file an appeal in appropriate circumstances”; and (iv) “clarify that, at an institution’s request, the initial review panel must schedule a meeting with the institution.” The amendments and final policy are applicable starting April 1, and the final appeals process will apply to all material supervisory determination appeals initiated after that date.