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Fed Outlines How Banks May Seek "Illiquid Funds" Extension Under Volcker Rule
On December 12, the Fed announced additional details addressing the way in which banking entities may seek an extension of the July 21, 2017 deadline by which they are to divest assets that are not permitted by the Volcker Rule. According to the Fed, illiquid legacy investments are expected to generally qualify for deadline extensions of up to five years, as long as the company has made appropriate efforts to deal with those investments, has an adequate compliance program, and the Fed is not concerned that the company is attempting to evade the deadline. The Fed has also made available both a Supervision and Regulation Letter (SR 16-18) and a statement of policy that describe its expectations when an application for an extension is submitted.
OCC Seeks Comments on Volcker Rule Reporting, Recordkeeping, and Disclosure Requirements
On November 18, OCC published a notice seeking comments on various reporting, recordkeeping, and disclosure requirements associated with its regulations that implemented the Volcker Rule. Among other things, the OCC is seeking comments on: (i) whether the information sought is necessary for the OCC to perform its supervisory functions; (ii) the accuracy of the OCC’s estimate of the information collection burden; (iii) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected while also minimizing the collection burdens on respondents; and (iv) estimates of capital or start-up costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services to provide the information. Comments must be submitted on or before January 17, 2017.
Republicans Attempt to Replace the Dodd-Frank Act with the Financial CHOICE Act
On June 7, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) released details of the Financial CHOICE (Creating Hope and Opportunity for Investors, Consumers and Entrepreneurs) Act, a Republican proposal to dismantle the Dodd-Frank Act. According to Chairman Hensarling’s remarks delivered to the Economic Club of New York, “Dodd-Frank has failed.” The goals of the proposed plan are: (i) to promote economic growth through competitive, transparent, and innovative capital markets; (ii) to provide the opportunity for every American to achieve financial independence; (iii) to protect consumers from fraud and deception as well as the loss of economic freedom; (iv) to end taxpayer bailouts of financial institutions and too big to fail institutions; (v) to manage systemic risk; (vi) to simplify in order to prevent powerful entities from taking advantage of complexity in the law; and (vii) to hold Wall Street and Washington accountable. Importantly, Section Three (“Empower Americans to achieve financial independence by fundamentally reforming the CFPB and protecting investors”) proposes, among other things, to replace the current single director structure of the CFPB with a five-member, bipartisan commission subject to congressional oversight and appropriations. Section Three further proposes to repeal indirect auto lending guidance. As part of its goal to end “too big to fail” institutions and bank bailouts, Section Two of the Act proposes to retroactively repeal FSOC’s authority to designate firms as systematically important financial institutions. Finally, in an effort to “unleash opportunities for small businesses, innovators, and job creators by facilitating capital formation,” Section Six of the Act proposes to repeal the Volcker Rule, along with other sections and titles of Dodd-Frank that limit capital formation.
OCC Comptroller Curry Delivers Remarks on Easing Regulatory Burdens on Small Banks
On May 4, OCC Comptroller Thomas J. Curry delivered remarks at the third outreach meeting held under the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act (EGRPRA) in Boston. Acknowledging that smaller banks lack compliance resources as compared to larger institutions, Curry noted that the agency is working with the FFIEC to remove the outdated and onerous regulatory requirements currently imposed on the institutions: “If it is clear that a regulation is unduly burdensome, and if we have the authority to make changes to eliminate that burden, we will act.” With respect to regulatory requirements that call for legislative action, Curry emphasized that the agency is working with Congress to eliminate the unnecessary burdens. In this regard, the agency has presented lawmakers with three specific proposals to remove regulatory burden on smaller banks: (i) raise the asset threshold from $500 million to $750 million so that a greater number of community banks qualify for the 18-month examination cycle; (ii) provide a community bank exemption from the Volcker Rule; and (iii) provide greater flexibility to federal savings associations to change and expand their business strategies without changing their governance structure.
Comptroller Curry Remarks on OCC Assistance to Mutual Savings Associations and Community Banks
On March 23, OCC Comptroller Curry delivered remarks at the ABA Mutual Community Bank Conference regarding the agency’s supervision of mutual savings associations and community banks. Curry focused on the agency’s ongoing efforts to assist smaller financial institutions, specifically by reducing some of the unnecessary burden placed on them. Curry outlined three areas in which the agency is urging Congress to take action to reduce burdensome regulation: (i) raising the asset threshold requirement for the 18-month examination cycle from $500 million to $750 million; (ii) exempting community banks from the Volcker Rule requirement; and (iii) making it “easier for thrifts to expand their business model without changing their governance structure.” In addition to recommending actions to Congress, the OCC continues to hold OCC Mutual Savings Association Advisory Committee meetings and support collaboration among community banks to further ensure that smaller institutions can continue to serve their communities.
FDIC Vice Chairman Highlights Set of Supervisory Principles For Larger Institutions
On March 2, FDIC Vice Chairman Thomas Hoenig addressed the Institute of International Banking Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. In his prepared remarks, Vice Chairman Hoenig, who formerly served as President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, highlighted four supervisory principles that he believes are necessary to ensure effective supervision. These principles include (i) requiring full-scope examinations for all financial institutions, even large financial institutions, (ii) promoting greater transparency regarding the financial condition of large financial institutions, (iii) fully implementing the Volcker Rule, and (iv) increasing capital requirements to levels that the market purportedly would demand in the absence of a public safety net.
U.S. House Approves Volcker CLO Fix
On April 29, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by voice vote HR 4167, a bill that would exclude certain debt securities of collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) from the so-called Volcker Rule’s prohibition against holding an ownership interest in a hedge fund or private equity fund. Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act—the Volcker Rule—generally prohibits insured depository institutions and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and from acquiring or retaining ownership interests in, sponsoring, or having certain relationships with a hedge fund or private equity fund. As implemented, that prohibition would cover CLOs, which banks and numerous lawmakers assert Congress never intended for the Volcker Rule to cover. Earlier in April, the Federal Reserve Board issued a statement that it intends to exercise its authority to give banking entities two additional one-year extensions, which would extend until July 21, 2017, to conform their ownership interests in, and sponsorship of, covered CLOs. HR 4167 instead would provide a statutory solution by exempting CLOs issued before January 31, 2014 from divestiture before July 21, 2017.
Federal Reserve Board Announces Volcker CLO Conformance Period Extension
On April 7, the Federal Reserve Board issued a statement that it intends to exercise its authority to give banking entities two additional one-year extensions to conform their ownership interests in, and sponsorship of, certain collateralized loan obligations (CLOs) covered by federal regulations implementing Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act, the so-called Volcker Rule. Section 619 generally prohibits insured depository institutions and their affiliates from engaging in proprietary trading and from acquiring or retaining ownership interests in, sponsoring, or having certain relationships with a hedge fund or private equity fund. The Board previously adopted rules for the conformance period for covered funds—including CLOs—and at that time extended the conformance period for all activities and investments by one year, to July 21, 2015. But to ensure effective compliance, the Board plans to grant banking entities two additional one-year extensions, until July 21, 2017. These extensions only apply to CLOs that were in place as of December 31, 2013 and do not qualify for the exclusion in the final rule for loan securitizations. The Board’s decision was challenged during a House Financial Services Committee hearing the following day, in which several lawmakers argued that Congress never intended for the Volcker Rule to cover securitizations, including CLOs. The lawmakers urged the Federal Reserve to address the issue by amending the rule to exclude or grandfather in CLOs, rather than by extending the conformance period.
Regulators Alter Volcker Rule On TruPS CDOs
On January 14, the Federal Reserve Board, the CFTC, the SEC, the OCC, and the FDIC issued an interim final rule to permit banking entities to retain interests in certain collateralized debt obligations backed primarily by trust preferred securities (TruPS CDOs) from the investment prohibitions of section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act, known as the Volcker rule. The change allows banking entities to retain interest in or sponsorship of covered funds if (i) the TruPS CDO was established, and the interest was issued, before May 19, 2010; (ii) the banking entity reasonably believes that the offering proceeds received by the TruPS CDO were invested primarily in Qualifying TruPS Collateral; and (iii) the banking entity’s interest in the TruPS CDO was acquired on or before December 10, 2013, the date the agencies finalized the Volcker Rule. With the interim rule, the Federal Reserve, the OCC, and the FDIC released a non-exclusive list of qualified TruPS CDOs. The rule was issued in response to substantial criticism from banks and their trade groups after the issuance of the final Volcker Rule, and followed the introduction of numerous potential legislative fixes. On January 15, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on the impact of the Volcker rule during which bankers raised concerns beyond TruPS CDOs, including about the rule’s potential impact on bank investments in other CDOs, collateralized mortgage obligations, collateralized loan obligations, and venture capital. Committee members from both parties expressed an interest in pursuing further changes to the rule, including changes to address the restrictions on collateralized loan obligations.
House, Senate Bills Seek To Ease Volcker Rule Impact On TruPS CDOs
On January 8, House Financial Services Committee chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) and committee member Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV) introduced a bill, H.R. 3819, that would clarify that the Volcker Rule will not require banking institutions to divest their ownership in Trust Preferred Securities (TruPS) collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) that were issued before the date of the final Volcker Rule, December 10, 2013. A group of Republican Senators also announced a bill, the text of which was not immediately available. As recently reported, federal regulators are reviewing whether it is appropriate and consistent with the Dodd-Frank Act to fully exempt TruPS CDOs from the Volcker Rule prohibitions on ownership of covered funds. On January 7, a group of House Democrats sent a letter to the regulators urging them to exempt banks with less than $15 billion in assets from the Volcker TruPS CDO divestiture requirement.