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OCC Acting Comptroller Supports Fintech National Bank Charter
On July 19, Acting Comptroller of the Currency, Keith A. Noreika, spoke before the Exchequer Club about the proposed concept of granting special purpose charters for financial technology (fintech) companies. In prepared remarks, Acting Comptroller Noreika said the OCC has the authority to grant national bank charters to nondepository fintech companies in “appropriate circumstances.” However, he reiterated that having the authority does not imply a determination has been made as to whether the OCC will accept or grant applications from nondepository fintech companies that rely solely on regulation 12 CFR 5.20(e)(1), which outlines eligibility requirements for receiving special purpose national bank charters. To date, no such applications have been received.
The OCC continues to demonstrate its support for innovative developments and partnerships between banking and technology companies. As previously discussed in a Special Alert, the OCC issued a draft supplement in March to provide guidance for evaluating charter applications from fintech companies. “Providing a path for these companies to become national banks is pro-growth and in some ways can reduce regulatory burden for those companies,” Noreika remarked. However, the fintech special purpose national bank charter has recently met legal challenges from the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (see Special Alerts here and here). Norieka stated that the OCC is developing its response to the NYDFS lawsuit “and plans to defend [its] authority vigorously.” He cautioned against defining banking too narrowly, and argued that fintech companies should be allowed to apply for national bank charters if they meet the criteria and are involved in the “business of banking.”
Federal Banking Agencies Issue Proposed Rulemaking to Amend Appraisal Requirement Threshold for Commercial Real Estate Transactions
On July 19, the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC, and the OCC issued a joint notice of proposed rulemaking to raise the threshold for commercial real estate transactions requiring an appraisal from $250,000 to $400,000 in an effort to reduce costs and streamline transactions. The proposal was issued, in part, in response to concerns raised by financial industry representatives during the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act review process that adjustments have not been made to the current thresholds despite increases in property values and a scarcity of appraisers in rural areas. FDIC Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg issued a statement announcing that the proposal will significantly reduce the number of transactions requiring an appraisal. Evaluations, rather than appraisals, would now be required for commercial real estate transactions at or below the proposed threshold.
Comments on the proposed rule will be accepted for 60 days from date of publication in the Federal Register.
FDIC Adopts Revised Supervisory Appeals Guidelines
On July 18, the FDIC adopted revised guidelines for appeals of certain material supervisory determinations to expand the circumstances under which banks may appeal a material supervisory determination. The revisions incorporate changes suggested by commentators during a request for comments in 2016. The revised guidelines also provide consistency with the appeals processes of other federal banking agencies and will, among other things, (i) permit the appeal of the level of compliance with an existing formal enforcement action; (ii) provide that formal enforcement-related actions or decisions do not affect a pending appeal; (iii) allow for additional opportunities for appeal rights available under the guidelines with respect to material supervisory determinations in certain circumstances; and (iv) draw up other limited technical and conforming amendments.
The guidelines are effective immediately.
FTC Staff Supports FCC’s Proposal to Reverse Broadband Enforcement Authority
On July 17, FTC staff submitted its comments to the FCC in response to the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Restoring Internet Freedom (NPRM), in favor of returning broadband enforcement authority to FTC. (See previous InfoBytes coverage here.) The NPRM would reverse a 2015 FCC decision, which changed the classification of broadband internet access service from an “information service to a common carrier service,” and resulted in a loss to the FTC’s authority. Currently, the FTC cannot regulate common carrier activities. FTC staff argued that with the exception of broadband providers, FTC jurisdiction covers virtually all other internet entities. Having one agency with enforcement authority over all internet entities would allow for “consistent standards and consistent application of those standards.” The result, the staff encouraged, would be the creation of a “level playing field for all companies operating in the Internet ecosystem.”
Acting FTC Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen endorsed the staff comments and offered support for the NPRM to reverse the 2015 Title II classification of broadband internet access service as a way to “restore the FTC’s ability to protect broadband consumers under its general consumer protection and competition authority.” However, FTC Commissioner Terrell McSweeny dissented, stating that “[u]nless Congress repeals the common carrier exemption in the FTC Act, the FTC could continue to face challenges to its authority over common carriers.” Consequently, “[r]epealing these rules would be harmful for consumers and the marketplace . . . . Rather than roll[ing] back protections, we should augment them with renewed FCC vigor and a change to anachronistic barriers to FTC enforcement.”
FTC Chairman Announces Reforms for Bureau of Consumer Protection, Aims to Improve Transparency
On July 17, FTC Acting Chairman Maureen K. Ohlhausen announced process reforms designed to reduce burden and improve transparency in investigations conducted by its Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP). The initiative, which is part of the FTC’s reform efforts announced in April of this year, is designed to “protect consumers and promote competition without unduly burdening legitimate business activity.” To streamline information requests for CIDs in consumer protection cases, the BCP intends to:
- Provide plain language descriptions of the CID process and develop business education materials to help small businesses understand how to comply;
- Add detailed descriptions of the scope and purpose of investigations to assist companies in better understanding the information the FTC seeks;
- Limit relevant time periods to minimize undue burden on companies when possible;
- Significantly reduce the length and complexity of CID instructions for providing electronically stored data; and
- Increase response times (for example, 21 days to 30 days for targets, and 14 days to 21 days for third parties) to improve the quality and timeliness of compliance by recipients.
BCP will continue its current practice of communicating with investigation targets at least every six months once the CID has been complied with to provide investigation status updates.
ABA, CFPB to Host Webinar for Financial Institutions on New HMDA Submission Platform
On July 17, the ABA and CFPB announced a joint webinar on August 8 at 2:00 pm EDT, which will instruct compliance, operations, and loan processing professionals on how to use the new platform for submitting HMDA data. The webinar will provide an overview of the new tool and data collection process that all financial institutions must use to submit HMDA data beginning January 1, 2018 for data collected during 2017 and going forward.
Notably, however, on July 14, the CFPB issued a request for comments on proposed amendments to its HMDA reporting threshold for calendar years 2018 and 2019 to ease the burden on small-volume lenders. The comment period ends July 31, 2017. (See previous InfoBytes summary here.)
ABA, State Banking Associations Request HMDA Implementation Delay
Following up on comments submitted to the CFPB on its proposal to amend the 2015 HMDA rule (see previous InfoBytes coverage here), the American Bankers Association (ABA)—along with state banking associations representing all 50 states and Puerto Rico—sent a letter on July 12 to the Bureau requesting that the new “complex” and “substantive” requirements scheduled to take effect January 1, 2018 be delayed to allow banks time to comply. The associations claim the Bureau (i) failed to sufficiently conduct industry research to identify and address questions and proposed solutions concerning the proposed changes, and (ii) inadequately addressed issues related to the protection of borrower data. The ABA also stresses that the software systems banks need to incorporate into their platforms to ensure compliant data collection will not be available in time “because the industry and systems vendors are still awaiting rule changes that will necessitate system adaptations.” The Bureau has been asked to announce its intention for a delay within the next month.
CFPB Seeks Comments on Proposed Amendments to HMDA Reporting Threshold
On July 14, the CFPB announced and requested comments on proposed amendments to Regulation C, which concerns reporting requirements for banks and credit unions issuing home-equity lines of credit under HMDA. The amendments would raise the threshold from 100 loans to 500 for calendar years 2018 and 2019 to ease the burden on small-volume lenders. During this time, the Bureau will determine based on feedback whether the threshold should be permanently changed. The comment period ends July 31, 2017.
As previously reported in InfoBytes, earlier this year the Bureau solicited and received comments on its proposal to clarify data collection and reporting requirements under the 2015 HMDA rule. The amendments are scheduled to take effect January 1, 2018.
CFPB Extends Comment Deadline for Small Business Lending Request for Information
On July 12, the CFPB issued a notice in the Federal Register announcing that, in response to a request from 13 industry trade associations for an additional comment period extension, the Bureau has extended the comment period of the “Request for Information Regarding the Small Business Lending Market” for another 60 days. As previously covered in InfoBytes, the Bureau is seeking responses to its questions regarding the small business lending market and how the implementation of Section 1071 Dodd-Frank Act will affect small business financing. The Bureau also hopes to receive feedback on privacy concerns related to the Section 1071 disclosures. In light of the extension, comments must now be received by September 14.
OCC Releases Spring 2017 Semiannual Risk Report
On July 7, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced the release of its Semiannual Risk Perspective for Spring 2017 indicating key risk areas for national banks and federal savings associations. Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika pointed out in his remarks that, “[w]hile these are risks that the system faces as a whole, we note that the risks differ from bank to bank based on size, region, and business model. Compliance, governance, and operational risk issues remain leading risk issues for large banks while strategic, credit, and compliance risks remain the leading issues for midsize and community banks.”
The report details the four top risk areas:
- Elevated strategic risk—banks are expanding into new products and services as a result of fintech competition. According to the report, this competition is increasing potential risks. The OCC hopes to finish developing a special purpose banking charter for fintech companies soon.
- Increased compliance risk—banks must comply with anti-money laundering rules and the Bank Secrecy Act in addition to addressing increased cybersecurity challenges and new consumer protection laws.
- Upswing in credit risk—underwriting standards for commercial and retail loans have been relaxed as banks exhibit greater enthusiasm for risk and attempt to maintain loan market share as competition increases.
- Rise in operational risk—banks face increasingly complex cyber threats while relying on third-party service providers, which may be targets for hackers.
The report used data for the 12 months ending December 31, 2016.