Agencies extend Reg. O relief for some companies controlled by funds

Bank Regulatory Federal Issues Agency Rule-Making & Guidance FDIC OCC Federal Reserve Regulation O

On December 22, the Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, and OCC extended Regulation O relief for certain investment fund-controlled companies. The agencies issued a temporary no-action position in 2019 to allow time for the Federal Reserve, in consultation with the FDIC and OCC, “to consider whether to amend Regulation O to address concerns about unintended consequences of the application of Regulation O to companies that sponsor, manage, or advise investment funds and institutional accounts that invest in voting securities of banking organizations.” The interagency statement extends the no-action relief under Regulation O for another year to the sooner of either January 1, 2024, or the effective date of a final Federal Reserve rule revising Regulation O “that addresses the treatment of extensions of credit by a bank to fund complex-controlled portfolio companies that are insiders of the bank.” Specifically, the agencies state that action will not be taken against banks extending credit to fund complex-controlled portfolio companies that would otherwise violate Regulation O, provided the company controls (directly or indirectly) less than 15 percent of the bank’s voting securities (or 20 percent under certain circumstances) and has not or does not plan to place representatives in the bank or seek to exercise a controlling influence over the bank. Extensions of credit to these companies must be on “substantially the same terms as those prevailing for comparable transactions with unaffiliated third parties” and may not “involve more than normal risk of repayment or present other unfavorable features,” the agencies explained, noting that the relief applies only to fund complex-controlled portfolio companies, not the fund complexes.