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NY Proposes New Title Insurance Regulations To Help Reduce Closing Costs
On April 29, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled new title insurance regulations aimed at reducing title insurance closing costs of up to 20 percent for new homebuyers by eliminating kickbacks and other improper expenditures within the title insurance industry. The new regulations follow an NYDFS investigation which revealed that title insurance companies and their agents routinely spent excessive amounts on meals and entertainment for attorneys, real estate professionals and others in exchange for referrals on new business, passing along the costs to consumers’ insurance premium. In addition, the regulations also impose a cap on fees charged for searches and other services associated with the issuance of a title insurance policy, and requires title companies to submit filings, once every three years, affirming that the title insurance rates are not excessive or discriminatory.
DOJ and International Investment Bank Enter Into Plea Agreement to Resolve LIBOR Manipulation Claims, Bank Agrees to Pay $2.5 Billion Penalty
On April 23, the DOJ announced that an international investment bank and its subsidiary agreed to plead guilty to wire fraud for its alleged conduct, spanning from 2003 through 2011, in manipulating the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR), which is used to set interest rates on various financial products. In addition, the DOJ announced that the bank entered into a deferred prosecution agreement to resolve wire fraud and antitrust claims for manipulating both the U.S. Dollar LIBOR and Yen LIBOR. Under terms of the agreement, the $2.5 billion in penalties will be divided among U.S. and U.K. authorities - $800 million to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, $775 million to the DOJ, $600 million to the New York Department Financial Services, and roughly $340 million to the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority. The authorities also ordered the bank to install an independent compliance monitor.
NYDFS Cyber Security Report Shows Vulnerabilities in Banks' Third-Party Vendors
On April 9, the NYDFS released a report finding potential cyber security vulnerabilities with banks’ third-party vendors, based on a survey of 40 banking organizations regarding the cyber security standards in place for their vendors. Notable findings from the report include (i) nearly one in three banks surveyed currently do not require third-party vendors to notify them in the event of an information security breach or other cyber security breach; (ii) less than half of the banks conduct any on-site security assessments of their third-party vendors; (iii) about one in five of the banks surveyed do not require third-party vendors to represent that they have established minimum information security requirements; (iv) only one-third of the banks require information security requirements to be extended to subcontractors of the third-party vendors; and (v) nearly half of the banks do not require a warranty of the integrity of the third-party vendor’s data or products. According to the press release, NYDFS plans to strengthen cyber security standards for banks’ third-party vendors through regulations, including addressing the representations and warranties banks receive about cyber security protections in place.
New York DFS Takes Action Against Bank for BSA/AML Compliance Deficiencies
On March 12, the New York DFS issued a consent order against a Germany-based global bank for alleged Bank Secrecy Act and other anti-money laundering (BSA/AML) compliance violations that occurred between 2002 and 2008. According to the DFS’s press release, certain bank employees were selected “to manually process Iranian transactions — specifically, to strip from SWIFT payment messages any identifying information that could trigger OFAC-related controls and possibly lead to delay or outright rejection of the transaction in the United States.” The DFS also alleges that the bank’s New York branch failed to implement proper BSA/AML compliance thresholds, allowing certain alerts regarding suspicious transactions to be excluded. Under the terms of the consent order, the bank must pay a $1.45 billion penalty, to be distributed as follows: $610 million to the DFS; $300 million to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York; $200 million to the Federal Reserve; $172 million to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office; and $172 million to the U.S. DOJ. Additionally, the order requires that the bank “terminate individual employees who engaged in misconduct, and install an independent monitor for Banking Law violations in connection with transactions on behalf of Iran, Sudan, and a Japanese corporation that engaged in accounting fraud.”
New York Bank Regulator Considering Cybersecurity Regulations, Random Audits of Banks
On February 25, New York DFS Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky delivered remarks at Columbia Law School focusing on how state bank regulators can better supervise financial institutions in a post-financial crisis era. In his remarks, Lawsky stated that “real deterrence” to future misconduct “means a focus not just on corporate accountability, but on individual accountability” at the senior executive level. Lawsky also highlighted measures that DFS is considering to prevent money laundering including conducting random audits of regulated firms’ “transaction monitoring and filtering systems” and making senior executives attest to the adequacy of the systems. Lastly, Lawsky outlined several cybersecurity initiatives and considerations that would require third-party vendors to have cybersecurity protections and regulations in place that would mandate the use of “multi-factor authentication” systems for DFS regulated firms.
New York DFS Announces Targeted Cybersecurity Examinations, Releases Report on Insurance Companies
On February 8, New York DFS Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky announced that the DFS would begin (i) regularly examining insurance companies’ cyber security preparedness; (ii) enhancing regulations that will require insurance providers to meet higher standards of cyber security; and (iii) examining “stronger measures related to the representations and warranties insurance companies receive from third-party vendors.” Lawsky expects the targeted exams to begin in the “coming weeks and months.” The announcement was accompanied by the release of the state agency’s report on cybersecurity in the insurance industry.
New York DFS Urges CFPB to Adopt "Strong" Payday Loan Rules
On February 4, NY DFS Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky sent a letter to the CFPB urging the agency to adopt strong national rules for the payday loan industry. In his letter, Lawksy highlighted four steps the agency should consider in its drafting of rules including (i) making clear that state laws with stronger anti-payday-lending rules still apply to lenders; (ii) banning payday lenders from using “remotely created checks;” (iii) restricting the sharing of consumers’ personal information by payday lenders, lead generators and other third parties; and (iv) creating a rigorous “ability-to-repay” standard for payday loans.
New York DFS Revises BitLicense Framework for Virtual Currency Regulation
On February 4, New York DFS proposed revisions to its anticipated regulation of virtual currency companies. The DFS originally released a proposal on July 17, 2014, and on December 18, Superintendent Lawsky delivered remarks stating the DFS was revising its proposal to provide more flexibility to virtual currency startups. The revised proposal (i) gives DFS the option of renewing a conditional BitLicense if the virtual currency firm continues to meet operating criteria; and (ii) removes previous language stating that a firm operating a BitLicense is required to obtain addresses and transaction data for all parties to a virtual currency transaction. Regardless of the changes, virtual currency firms still must meet strict standards for consumer protection and anti-money laundering requirements.
NY Department of Financial Services Settles With Auto-Dealer
On December 19, the New York Department of Financial Services announced a recent settlement with a Long Island-based auto lender to resolve allegations of violations of several consumer protection laws including the DFA, TILA, NY Banking Law, and NY Financial Services Law. According to the consent judgment, the Defendants allegedly (i) failed to notify consumers who made overpayments on their accounts; (ii) miscalculated the interest charged to customers; and (iii) endangered the security of its customer information by leaving loan files openly around common areas. As part of the settlement, the auto dealer must (i) pay $3 million in penalties; (ii) pay full restitution plus nine percent interest to all affected customers; (iii) liquidate all remaining loans; and (iv) surrender its licenses in all states.
NY Superintendent of Financial Services Proposes Lighter BitLicense Regulations
On December 18, Superintendent Lawsky delivered remarks regarding New York’s revised proposal for regulating virtual currency companies. The new proposal stems from the original July 17 proposal and includes certain revisions previously alluded to on October 17. Lawsky noted that the revisions will provide flexibility to virtual currency startups, while simultaneously allowing the New York Department of Financial Services to remain committed to protecting consumers. Most notably, the revised regulation “will offer a two-year transitional BitLicense, which may be issued to those firms who are unable to satisfy all of the requirements of a full license, and will be tailored to startups and small businesses.” According to Lawsky, while the companies will still have to abide by anti-money laundering and consumer protection requirements, the revisions are intended to “strike an appropriate balance between permitting innovation to proceed, while at the same time strongly protecting consumers and helping root out illicit activity.”