InfoBytes Blog

Agencies adopt Covid-19 rules on regulatory capital and appraisals

Recently, the OCC, Federal Reserve Board, and FDIC (collectively, “the agencies”) adopted four interim final rules issued as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic as two final rules. Highlights of the rules include:

• Regulatory Capital. The agencies issued a final rule covering revisions to the regulatory capital rule and the liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) rule made under three interim final rules. The final rule, which adopts three of the interim final rules as final with no changes, (i) allows financial institutions to participate in the Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMLF) and Paycheck Protection Program Lending Facility (PPPLF) by neutralizing the regulatory capital effects of participating in each of the programs (covered by InfoBytes here and here); and (ii) modifies the agencies’ LCR rule to support participation in the MMLF and the PPPLF (covered by InfoBytes here).
• Appraisals and Evaluations. The agencies adopted as final, with one revision, an interim final rule (covered by InfoBytes here) allowing regulated financial institutions to defer completion of appraisals and evaluations for certain residential and commercial real estate transactions, excluding those involving the acquisition, development, and construction of real estate. Financial institutions are allowed up to 120 days from the closing date to obtain the required appraisal or evaluation in order to expedite the liquidity needs of borrowers. The final rule is effective through December 31.

Federal Issues Covid-19 MMLF Appraisal PPPLF LCR Capital Agency Rule-Making & Guidance

Agencies finalize three pandemic-related rules

On August 26, the Federal Reserve Board, FDIC, and OCC finalized three rules that were temporarily issued in March and April to assist financial institutions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Highlights of the three rules include:

• Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR). The agencies adopted, without change, two interim final rules issued in April (covered by InfoBytes here) that temporarily lower the CBLR threshold and provide a gradual transition back to the prior level in order to enable qualifying community banking organizations to support lending during the Covid-19 pandemic. Effective October 1, the final rule, among other things, lowers the leverage ratio to eight percent through 2020 and increases the ratio to 8.5 percent in 2021 and nine percent in 2022.
• Current Expected Credit Losses (CECL). The agencies adopted, without substantial change, an interim final rule issued in March (covered by InfoBytes here), which provides an additional two years to the three-year transition period that is already available to “mitigate the estimated cumulative regulatory capital effects” of CECL. The final rule expands the pool of eligible institutions to include any institution adopting CECL in 2020 and is effective upon publication in the Federal Register.
• Capital distributions. The agencies adopted, without change, an interim final rule issued in March revising the definition of “eligible retained income” to allow for a more gradual application of any automatic limitations on capital distributions if an institution’s capital levels decline below certain levels. Additionally, the final rule includes the adoption of a Federal Reserve-only interim final rule (covered by InfoBytes here), similarly revising the definition of “eligible retained income” for purposes of the total loss-absorbing capacity rule. The final rule is effective January 1, 2021.

Federal Issues Agency Rule-Making & Guidance FDIC OCC CECL Federal Reserve Capital Covid-19

Fed changes supplementary leverage ratio rule to increase credit flow

On April 1, the Federal Reserve (Fed) released an interim final rule, which provides a short-term change to the calculation of the supplementary leverage ratio for holding companies (banks). This change temporarily allows banks to exclude their Treasury securities and Federal Reserve Bank deposits from the computation of the banks’ total assets, thus reducing the amount of capital the banks must maintain. The Fed suggested that the move will reduce the banks’ tier 1 capital requirements by around two percent, allowing them to take on more debt, resulting in an increase in available credit to households and businesses. The Fed stressed that it made this change to allow the banks to increase the flow of credit, and not to increase the banks’ capital distributions. The temporary change is effective immediately and will automatically revert on March 31, 2021. Comments on the rule must be submitted within 45 days of the announcement.

Federal Issues Covid-19 Federal Reserve Capital Requirements Bank Holding Companies Federal Reserve System Capital Securities Deposits

SEC to host to virtual discussion on raising capital for small businesses

On March 31, the SEC announced that the Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation will begin hosting a series of virtual discussions, each on “a particular area of the market, incorporating feedback from entrepreneurs, investors, and other market participants.” The first “Online Investment Capital Raising Virtual Coffee Break” will focus on the impact Covid-19 is having on raising capital, and will be held on April 3 at 11 am EDT. Additional information about the event can be found here, and participants can join the event by clicking here.

Federal Issues SEC Capital Small Business Covid-19