Hsu: Bank merger framework needs updating

Bank Regulatory Federal Issues OCC Bank Mergers DOJ

On May 9, acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu delivered remarks before the Brookings Institution focusing on updating the framework used to analyze bank merger applications. In his remarks, Hsu described that bank mergers have “received significant attention this past year” and that “[c]oncerns about the negative effects of bank mergers on competition, communities and financial stability have prompted some to call for a moratorium on merger activity.” Hsu also noted that “others have defended the benefits of mergers,” noting that “the U.S. financial services market is highly competitive, and mergers allow institutions to achieve needed economies of scale and to diversify risk through geographic or product expansion.” The OCC adopted the DOJ’s bank merger review guidelines, which were last revised in 1995, but public comments as to whether it should update the guidelines to reflect trends in the banking and financial services sector and to modernize its approach to bank merger review is currently pending. Stating that the frameworks for analyzing bank mergers need updating, Hsu noted that imposing a moratorium on mergers would “lock in the status quo,” thus, “prevent[ing] mergers that could increase competition, serve communities better, and enhance industry resiliency.” Considering that it is time to “rethink the frameworks” for analyzing bank merger applications, Hsu stated that he does not believe that “the statutory prongs of competitiveness, safety and soundness, meeting community needs, and financial stability need to be revisited.” Instead, he described that, “the modes of analysis used by regulators to apply these factors need to be improved.” According to Hsu, there is a “resolvability gap” among large regional banks, which is creating a whole new set of "too-big-to-fail" entities as these banks grow in size.