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  • CSBS Announces Multi-State Regulatory Groups' Annual Reports to State Regulators

    Consumer Finance

    On April 27, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) announced that three working groups of state regulators – the State Coordinating Committee (SCC), the Multi-State Mortgage Committee (MMC), and the Multi-State MSB Examination Task Force (MMET) – issued annual reports to state regulators regarding their 2014 operations and progress. Responsible for information sharing and examination work with the CFPB, the SSC report outlines the two agencies’ 9 joint examinations. The MMC – established as the “oversight body for multi-state mortgage supervision” in 2008 – is responsible for coordinated, multi-state mortgage exams, and its report covers the 6 joint mortgage examinations conducted with the CFPB in 2014. Finally, the MMET supervises the money services businesses; its report highlights 57 examinations conducted jointly with the CFPB in 2014.

    CFPB Nonbank Supervision CSBS Bank Supervision

  • CSBS Announces $5.2 Million Multi-State Enforcement Action Against Maryland-Based Mortgage Lender To Resolve Allegations Of Misconduct Relating To Continuing Education And Testing Of Mortgage Loan Originators

    Consumer Finance

    On April 13, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (“CSBS”) announced a settlement agreement and consent order following a coordinated enforcement action launched by 43 states against a non-bank mortgage lender after finding that the lender’s mortgage professionals shared test information from mandatory compliance examinations and the lender’s compliance staff routinely completed continuing education and examination requirements for other employees. The case developed after state financial regulators in New Hampshire and Maryland discovered the misconduct and reported it to the Multi-State Mortgage Committee (“MMC”)—a group composed of state regulators charged with supervising mortgage lenders that operate in multiple states—which opened an investigation. Joined by 41 other states, the settlement agreement also found that many of the lender’s employees dishonestly completed continuing education requirements for other employees, including the mortgage lender’s chief executive officer and chief operating officer. The settlement agreement and consent order issued by the MMC for the breach of these duties included the imposition of a $5.2 million fine and commanded the removal and replacement of the lender’s chief operating officer. The agreement also ordered the lender to (i) prepare a comprehensive plan of improved corporate governance policies approved by the lender’s parent’s board of directors within 270 days, with a follow-up reported to the MMC on implementation of the plan required 270 days later, and (ii) hire an independent auditor to evaluate the lender’s training and education program. The same mortgage lender was also subject to a different and unrelated enforcement action in February 2015. The CFPB recently imposed a $2 million penalty against the lender for deceptive marketing practices and paying kickbacks to customer referrals.

    Enforcement CSBS

  • CSBS Proposes Regulatory Framework for Non-Bank Mortgage Servicers

    Consumer Finance

    On March 25, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (“CSBS”) and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators (“AARMR”) issued a proposal seeking public comment on its Proposed Regulatory Prudential Standards for Non-bank Mortgage Servicers. According to the CSBS, the proposal is in response to an increasing number of non-bank servicers that continue to acquire mortgage servicing rights, and subsequently, require enhanced state regulation to (i) provide better safeguards for borrowers, investors, and other stakeholders, (ii) increase regulatory oversight and market discipline over non-bank mortgage servicers, and (iii) enhance transparency, accountability, risk management and corporate governance standards. Comments on the proposal must be received by June 25, 2015.

    Nonbank Supervision CSBS

  • Federal Banking Regulators Testify on "Regulatory Relief"

    Consumer Finance

    On February 10, officials from federal and state banking authorities – the Fed, FDIC, NCUA, OCC, and the CSBS – testified at a U.S. Senate Banking Committee on ways the agencies can provide “regulatory relief” to community banks and credit unions, which disproportionately incur burdens to implement the rules and provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act.  Specifically, officials from each of the federal banking agencies detailed current initiatives and proposals that would provide less burdensome compliance costs.

    FDIC Federal Reserve OCC NCUA CSBS Community Banks Senate Banking Committee

  • CSBS Issues Policy, Draft Model Regulatory Framework, and Request for Comment Regarding State Regulation of Virtual Currency

    State Issues

    As previously reported in our January 8 Digital Commerce & Payments alert and in InfoBytes, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (“CSBS”) issued a Policy on State Regulation of Virtual Currency (the “Policy”), Draft Model Regulatory Framework, and a request for public comment regarding the regulation of virtual currency on December 16, 2014.  The Policy and Draft Model Regulatory Framework were issued through the work of the CSBS Emerging Payments Task Force (the “Task Force”). The Task Force was established to explore the nexus between state supervision and the development of payment systems and is seeking to identify where there are consistent regulatory approaches among states.

    CSBS Bank Supervision Virtual Currency

  • Special Alert: CSBS Issues Policy, Draft Model Regulatory Framework, and Request for Comment Regarding State Regulation of Virtual Currency

    Fintech

    On December 16, 2014, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (“CSBS”) issued a Policy on State Regulation of Virtual Currency (the “Policy”), Draft Model Regulatory Framework, and a request for public comment regarding the regulation of virtual currency.  The Policy and Draft Model Regulatory Framework were issued through the work of the CSBS Emerging Payments Task Force (the “Task Force”). The Task Force was established to explore the nexus between state supervision and the development of payment systems and is seeking to identify where there are consistent regulatory approaches among states.

    The Policy

    As a result of its work to date, the Policy recommends that “activities involving third party control of virtual currency, including for the purposes of transmitting, exchanging, holding, or otherwise controlling virtual currency, should be subject to state licensure and supervision.” The Policy states that state regulators have determined certain activities involving virtual currency raise concerns in three areas: consumer protection, marketplace stability, and law enforcement.

    The Task Force’s intentional technology-neutral approach targets “licensable activities” – activities performed by one party, in a position of trust, acting on behalf of another.  It recommends that such licensable activities be regulated by amending current laws, or when necessary, enacting new legislation to cover the transmission, exchanging, and holding of value of currencies. The Policy recommends that those who service these transactions through mobile wallets, vaults, payment processors, and others should be appropriately licensed.

    The Policy targets certain activities:

    • Transmission
    • Exchange (e.g., sovereign to virtual, virtual to sovereign, or virtual to virtual)
    • Services that facilitate third-party exchange, storage, and/or transmission of virtual currency through any medium (e.g., wallets, vaults, kiosks, merchant-acquirers, and payment processors).

    The Task Force notes that the Policy explicitly does not cover either merchants or consumers whose use of virtual currencies is solely to purchase goods or services; or for activities that utilize similar technologies, such as cryptography-based ledger systems, but are not financial in nature nor used for financial recordkeeping.

    The Draft Model Regulatory Framework

    The Draft Model Regulatory Framework proposes a system for state licensing and supervision of certain virtual currency activities. The Draft Model Regulatory Framework addresses the following areas of concern regarding businesses engaged in virtual currency activities:  licensing requirements and systems, financial strength and stability, consumer protection issues, cybersecurity, compliance with Bank Secrecy Act and Anti-Money Laundering, recordkeeping, and regulatory supervision.

    Request For Public Comment

    The CSBS is looking for public comment on the Draft Model Regulatory Framework in two main areas:

    1. The Licensing Regime for the Virtual Currency Business. What should such a regime look like? How can states best streamline the process? How should laws that apply to regular money transmitters, such as escheatment or funds availability, be applied to the virtual currency business?
    2. Risk Management. What is an appropriate level of identification for customers? How should BSA/AML regulations change to address virtual currencies? What role should cyber risk insurance play? What sorts of consumer protections will be necessary?

    The specific questions posed by the CSBS are found here.  The creation of a new licensing regime, in addition to laws that will govern future litigation structure, will influence the direction states take in regulating virtual currencies.

    Members of the industry have until February 16, 2015 to respond to the RFC. 

    CSBS Virtual Currency

  • State Bank Regulators Request Feedback On Model Framework for Virtual Currency Activities

    State Issues

    On December 16, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) announced its draft regulatory framework and requested public comment on specific questions intended to aid state regulators on the regulation of virtual currencies. The regulation of virtual currency activities currently varies from state to state. The draft framework is intended to create uniform state regulation. Comments are due by February 16, 2015.

    CSBS Bank Supervision Virtual Currency

  • Federal, State Prudential Regulators Issue HELOC Guidance

    Lending

    On July 1, the OCC, the Federal Reserve Board, the FDIC, the NCUA, and the Conference of State Bank Supervisors issued interagency guidance on home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) nearing their end-of-draw periods. The guidance states that as HELOCs transition from their draw periods to full repayment, some borrowers may have difficulty meeting higher payments resulting from principal amortization or interest rate reset, or renewing existing loans due to changes in their financial circumstances or declines in property values. As such, the guidance describes the following “core operating principles” that the regulators believe should govern oversight of HELOCs nearing their end-of-draw periods: (i) prudent underwriting for renewals, extensions, and rewrites; (ii) compliance with existing guidance, including but not limited to the Credit Risk Management Guidance for Home Equity Lending and the Interagency Guidelines for Real Estate Lending Policies; (iii) use of well-structured and sustainable modification terms; (iv) appropriate accounting, reporting, and disclosure of troubled debt restructurings; and (v) appropriate segmentation and analysis of end-of-draw exposure in allowance for loan and lease losses estimation processes. The guidance also outlines numerous risk management expectations, and states that institutions with a significant volume of HELOCs, portfolio acquisitions, or exposures with higher-risk characteristics should have comprehensive systems and procedures to monitor and assess their portfolios, while less-sophisticated processes may be sufficient for community banks and credit unions with small portfolios, few acquisitions, or exposures with lower-risk characteristics.

    FDIC Federal Reserve OCC NCUA CSBS HELOC Agency Rule-Making & Guidance

  • CSBS Hosts Emerging Payments Hearing

    Fintech

    On May 16, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors Emerging Payments Task Force held a public hearing to examine the changing payments landscape and opportunities and risks presented by current and emerging technologies. The Legacy Payment Systems panel focused on continued efforts to improve efficiency and speed while simultaneously “preserving consumer confidence and system stability.” The Retail Payments Innovations panelists described innovative electronic and mobile payment systems and suggested that further innovation would be best supported by existing regulatory framework, which offers sufficient consumer protections. Finally, the Virtual Currencies panel urged state and federal regulators to “provide clear and consistent regulatory expectations and guidance without restricting innovation.” The event was the most recent of a number held by federal and state policymakers to address the proliferation of emerging financial technologies used to move money and transfer funds, which range from enhancements of traditional ACH or credit and debit methods of payment to virtual currencies that disrupt the traditional model. The CSBS is expected to use public hearings like this one to develop a proposed regulatory framework for state agencies.

    Payment Systems Mobile Payment Systems CSBS Virtual Currency

  • CSBS Publishes Annual Report

    Consumer Finance

    On May 1, the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) published its 2013 annual report, which aggregates and reviews the organization’s activities in the prior year, identifies future goals for the organization, and outlines specific priorities for 2014. Those priorities include, among others, continuing to coordinate with federal regulators on cybersecurity and with the CFPB on complaint sharing. The report also includes more detailed reports on past and future activities by various CSBS divisions and boards, including a report from the Policy and Supervision Division that reviews the CSBS’s legislative and regulatory policy positions, and its bank supervision and consumer protection and non-bank supervision activities.

    Nonbank Supervision CSBS Bank Supervision

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