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  • Financial Consulting Firm Agrees to Pay $15 Million to Resolve NYDFS Investigation

    State Issues

    On August 18, a Washington D.C.-based financial consulting firm agreed to pay $15 million to resolve allegations that the firm failed to meet the current requirements of the NY Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) for consultants hired to perform regulatory compliance engagements. In addition to the $15 million penalty, the consulting firm agreed not to accept new engagements which require the NYDFS to disclose confidential supervisory information for six (6) months, and that it will attest that any reports submitted to the NYDFS on behalf of a client is objective and reflects the consulting firm’s best independent judgment. The Agreement follows a report released by the NYDFS detailing the consulting firm’s practices when preparing and submitting to the NYDFS reports of its findings regarding sanctions compliance with respect to certain transactions of a large, multi-national bank.

    Bank Consultants NYDFS

  • Federal Reserve Orders Chinese Bank to Overhaul its BSA/AML Compliance Program

    State Issues

    On July 21, a leading China-based bank agreed to address deficiencies in connection with the BSA/AML risk management and compliance program of its New York branch office. The Agreement, entered into with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the New York State Department of Financial Services, requires the bank and its New York branch to (i) enhance the branch’s written BSA/AML compliance program and customer due diligence program; and (ii) develop a written program for the branch that is capable of identifying and reporting suspected violations of law and suspicious transactions to law enforcement and supervisory authorities. In addition, the bank must hire an independent third-party to review the Branch’s U.S. dollar clearing transaction activity “to determine whether suspicious activity involving high-risk customers or transactions at, by, or through the branch was properly identified and reported” to the appropriate federal banking authorities. No civil money penalty was imposed on the bank.

    Federal Reserve Anti-Money Laundering Bank Secrecy Act NYDFS China

  • NY Governor Says Two Additional Mortgage Companies Will Adopt Set of Best Practices to Combat "Zombie Properties"

    Consumer Finance

    On July 9, in an ongoing fight to reduce the amount of “zombie properties” within the state, Governor Cuomo announced that two additional mortgage companies will adopt the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) recommended Industry Best Practices, aiming to help combat the economic damage that vacant and abandoned properties cause certain neighborhoods. The Practices ensure that banks and mortgage companies will regularly inspect properties in a delinquent status to determine if they are vacant, and if they are properly maintained and safe. If a property is determined vacant, banks and mortgage companies will report the property to a state registry, ensuring that NYDFS shares the information with local government officials. Local government officials and the NYDFS will then work together to “address and escalate any concerns about maintenance with the bank or mortgage company that is servicing the loan.” Governor Cuomo’s announcement resonates with Superintendent Lawsky’s May 22 remarks concerning NYDFS’s effort to reform the state’s lengthy foreclosure process, which leaves properties in despair and causes economic blight and safety issues. With the two additional companies joining the state’s efforts against zombie properties, lenders representing nearly 70 percent of the New York mortgage lending market have now agreed to adopt the set of best practices.

    Foreclosure NYDFS

  • August 10 Deadline Set for New York Virtual Currency Firms to Apply for BitLicense

    Fintech

    On June 24, the New York State Register published the Department of Financial Services’ BitLicense framework, requiring companies and individuals who provide virtual currency services involving New York or a New York Resident to apply for a BitLicense by August 10, 2015. Virtual currency firms must submit the 31-page application providing information including, among other things, (i) written policies and procedures including, but not limited to BSA/AML, cybersecurity, privacy and information security, (ii) company information, (iii) biographical information on company directors and stockholders, and (iv) an explanation of the methodology used to calculate the value of virtual currency in fiat currency. In addition, the NYDFS released a set of FAQs to help clarify the BitLicense requirements.

    Virtual Currency Digital Commerce NYDFS

  • NY DFS Reveals Final BitLicense Requirements for Digital Currency Firms

    Fintech

    On June 3, New York’s departing superintendent of financial services, Benjamin Lawsky, revealed that the agency has adopted final regulations of the BitLicense, the regulatory framework in which digital currency firms operate within the state. In prepared remarks delivered at the BITS Emerging Payments Forum in Washington, D.C., Lawsky announced that the final BitLicense – which has undergone two previous updates – contains key consumer protection, AML compliance, and cybersecurity requirements. Moreover, Lawsky advised of the latest changes, and provided guidance clarifying that (i) firms that wish to obtain both a BitLicense and a money transmitter license will not have to submit separate applications, if they can satisfy the requirements for both; (ii) firms filing suspicious activity reports (SARS) with federal regulators, such as FinCEN, will not have to file a duplicate set of SARS with the state; (iii) firms must obtain prior approval for changes to their products or business models; (iv) firms will not require prior approval from the regulator for each round of venture capital funding, unless the investor seeks to oversee the company’s management and policies. Lawsky also clarified that the DFS intends to regulate only financial intermediaries who hold customer funds, rather than software developers who specifically focus on developing software, and do not hold customer funds.

     

    Virtual Currency Digital Commerce NYDFS

  • DOJ Announces Plea Agreements with Five Major Banks for Manipulating Foreign Currency Exchange Markets

    Financial Crimes

    On May 20, the DOJ announced plea agreements with five major banks relating to manipulations of foreign currency exchange markets. Four of the banks pled guilty to felony charges of “conspiring to manipulate the price of U.S. dollars and euros exchanged in the foreign currency exchange (FX) spot market.” These four banks agreed to pay criminal fines totaling more than $2.5 billion and to a three-year period of “corporate probation,” which will be “overseen by the court and require regular reporting to authorities as well as cessation of all criminal activities.” A fifth bank pled guilty to manipulating benchmark interest rates, including LIBOR, and to violating a prior non-prosecution agreement arising out of the DOJ’s LIBOR investigation. That bank agreed to pay a $203 million criminal penalty. The DOJ emphasized that these were “parent-level guilty pleas” to felony charges and that it would continue to investigate potentially culpable individuals. The five banks also agreed to various additional fines and settlements with other regulators, including the Federal Reserve, the CFTC, NYDFS, and the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority. Combined with previous payments arising out of the FX investigations, the five banks have paid nearly $9 billion in fines and penalties.

    Federal Reserve DOJ Enforcement LIBOR NYDFS

  • NYDFS Superintendent Lawsky Delivers Remarks on Reforming New York Foreclosure Process

    Lending

    On May 19, NYDFS Superintendent Lawsky delivered remarks at the Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Secondary Market Conference & Expo regarding New York’s “broken judicial foreclosure process.” Noting that the state’s average of over 900 days from the date of filing to sale is more than a year longer than the national average, Lawsky stated that the “current system hurts virtually everyone involved in the foreclosure process,” including municipalities, lenders and mortgage investors, the courts and, most importantly, homeowners and their families. In a report issued the same day, NYDFS details the causes of the problems. In response, Lawsky proposed a number of legislative reforms intended to facilitate the “twin goals of protecting homeowners from foreclosure abuses and encouraging the efficient return of foreclosed properties to the market.” Lawsky emphasized that, “contrary to popular belief, these goals are not mutually exclusive. The key to achieving both is having a sound and timely judicial foreclosure process that is fair to both homeowners and the mortgage industry.” The specific reforms include proposals to modify the mandatory settlement conferences that cause much delay early in the litigation process, to improve disclosures to homeowners regarding their rights and obligations, and to expedite the foreclosure process for vacant and abandoned “zombie homes.”

    Foreclosure NYDFS

  • NYDFS Superintendent Lawsky Announces Departure

    State Issues

    On May 20, the NYDFS released a statement announcing that Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky will depart in late June. Lawsky, who became the newly created agency’s first superintendent in May 2011, stated: “I am deeply proud of the work our team has done building this new agency and helping strengthen oversight of the financial markets. We have assembled a great team at NYDFS and I have full confidence that the critical work of this agency will continue seamlessly moving forward.”

    NYDFS

  • NYDFS Releases New Title Insurance Rates for Refinancings; Consumers Save Up to 65 Percent

    Consumer Finance

    On May 12, the NYDFS announced newly approved title insurance industry rates for mortgage refinancing transactions, which is just one of the steps the NYDFS is planning to take to reform and lower title insurance rates. The new rates vary depending on the term, size, and duration of the loan, and they are anticipated to provide significant savings to New York homeowners.

    Title Insurance NYDFS

  • NYDFS Grants First Charter to New York-Based Virtual Currency Company

    Fintech

    On May 7, NYDFS granted its first charter to a New York-based commercial Bitcoin exchange. In February, the company requested a charter under the NYDFS’s application process, which included a thorough review of the company’s anti-money laundering, capitalization, consumer protection, and cyber security standards. Under the New York Banking Law, the company can start its operations immediately, but is subject to continual supervision by the NYDFS.  Indeed, Superintendent Lawsky noted, “regulation will ultimately be important to the long-term health and development of the virtual currency industry.”

    Virtual Currency NYDFS

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