InfoBytes Blog
Filter
Subscribe to our InfoBytes Blog weekly newsletter and other publications for news affecting the financial services industry.
FDIC, Fed issue new rules and guidance aimed to strengthen resolution planning at large banks
On August 29, the FDIC and the Federal Reserve Board issued a joint press release inviting public comment on proposed guidance that serves to toughen requirements for non-G-SIB large bank holding companies’ resolution plans, or “living wills” that set forth strategies for rapid and orderly resolution under bankruptcy in the event of financial distress or failure. The proposed guidance, which includes guidance for both domestic triennial full filers and guidance for foreign triennial full filers, will generally apply to certain bank holding companies and foreign banking associations with between $250 billion and $700 billion in total assets. This guidance is separate from the guidance previously issued to the largest and most complex companies, which is already in place. The guidance (i) is organized around key areas of potential vulnerability, such as capital, liquidity, and operational capabilities; (ii) provides agency expectations for both single point of entry and multiple point of entry strategy needs; and (iii) proposes that foreign banking organizations develop U.S. resolution strategies that complement their global resolution plans. The proposed guidance will be published in the Federal Register, with comments due by November 30, 2023.
Separately on August 29, the FDIC approved a notice of proposed rulemaking to enhance resolution planning for insured depository institutions (IDIs) with at least $100 billion in total assets. The proposed rule would strengthen existing IDI resolution planning requirements under 12 CFR § 360.10 and would require a resolution submission from covered IDIs every two years, with limited filings in between. Covered IDIs would be required to submit comprehensive resolution plans that would “enhance current IDI resolution planning requirements by incorporating useful elements of existing guidance and important lessons learned from past plan reviews and from past large bank resolutions, including those earlier this year.” Additionally, IDIs with total assets of at least $50 billion but less than $100 billion would submit more limited informational filings and would not be required to develop a resolution strategy. Comments on the proposed rule are due by November 30, 2023.
OCC allows institutions in Florida affected by Hurricane Idalia to temporarily close
On August 29, the OCC issued a proclamation permitting OCC-regulated institutions, at their discretion, to close offices in areas of Florida affected by Hurricane Idalia “for as long as deemed necessary for bank operation or public safety.” In issuing the proclamation, the OCC noted that only bank offices directly affected by potentially unsafe conditions should close, and that banks should make every effort to reopen as quickly as possible to address customers’ banking needs. The proclamation directs institutions to OCC Bulletin 2012-28 for further guidance on natural disasters and other emergency conditions.
Find continuing InfoBytes coverage on disaster relief here.
FDIC releases July enforcement actions, including breaches of fiduciary duty and FDPA violations
On August 25, the FDIC announced a list of administrative enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in July. The 10 orders include “two orders that combined a prohibition order and order to pay CMP; one combined personal consent order and order to pay CMP; four prohibition orders; one order modifying a prohibition order; one order of termination of deposit insurance; and one order to pay CMP for pattern or practice violations of the Flood Disaster Protection Act.” The FDIC assessed a civil money penalty against a North Dakota-based bank for alleged violations of the Flood Disaster Protection Act and the National Flood Insurance Act including providing or extending loans secured by a building or mobile home situated in or intended for placement within an area with a recognized risk of flooding, without promptly notifying the borrower and/or the servicer about the availability of flood insurance for the asset.
Warren urges Fed to finalize capital requirements for large banks
On August 29, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter to the Fed regarding its recent notice of proposed rulemaking, urging them to “finalize the rules as quickly as possible.” In July, the Fed announced amendments to the regulatory capital requirements for large banking organizations that would implement the final components of the Basel III agreement (previously covered by InfoBytes here). Warren noted that she is concerned about the Fed’s intent to seek potential modifications as it could result in weakening the proposed rule. Warren also warned that big bank lobbyists has been “engaging in a full-court press to fend off higher capital requirements” before the release of the proposed rule, and that big banks lobbying expenditures were up 20 percent compared to the same period of time in the previous year, indicating a “clear effort to fend off stronger rules” following recent bank failures. The senator finally noted that the capital bank requirements are a threat to bank’s “massive payouts for executives and shareholders.”
DOJ, Oklahoma bank agree to consent order over redlining
On August 28, the DOJ announced a settlement agreement to resolve allegations of redlining by an Oklahoma-based bank. According to the complaint, defendant allegedly engaged in redlining by refraining from providing home loans and other mortgage-related services, and also engaged in biased behavior, to deter individuals residing in or seeking credit within predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Tulsa from pursuing mortgage opportunities. According to the proposed consent order, without admitting or denying the allegations, defendant agreed to (i) invest $1.15 million to increase credit opportunities in neighborhoods of color; (ii) invest at least $950,000 in a loan subsidy fund for predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Tulsa; (iii) invest $100,000 for advertising, outreach and consumer education; (iv) invest $100,000 for community partnerships to improve access to residential mortgage credit services; (v) “open a new community-oriented loan production office in the historically Black area of Tulsa”; and (vi) assign at least two mortgage loan officers to solicit mortgage applications in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods in Tulsa, among other things.
The DOJ press release makes reference to the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre. The bank's press release announcing the settlement responded by stating that “[a]s Oklahomans, we carry a profound sense of sorrow for the tragic events of the Tulsa Race Massacre over a century ago. It is with deep concern that we note the Justice Department’s decision to reference this distressing historical event in its complaint against our bank, established a mere 25 years ago.”
Fed issues enforcement action against state bank and its holding company
On August 17, the Fed announced an enforcement action against a state bank and its holding company for failing to comply with conditions imposed during the approval process for the bank to become a member of the Federal Reserve System and subsequent application for acquisition. Namely, the order provides that, among other conditions and limitations, the bank was required to provide advance notice of any change in its business plan, and was found to have changed the business plan without the requisite prior written approval. As part of the order, the bank will wind down its operations as part of a purchase agreement where it will sell its assets to a third-party bank and it will ensure the conservation of capital, preservation of cash assets, and will limit its business activities to only those necessary to consummate the purchase agreement.
NIST updates its Cybersecurity Framework
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently unveiled a proposed update to its Cybersecurity Framework, which was originally developed to provide information security guidelines for “critical infrastructure” like banking and energy industries. (Covered by InfoBytes here). The update includes a new, sixth pillar called “govern” that provides categories to facilitate executive oversight; manage enterprise risk (including supply chain risk); and effective alignment of enterprise resources, strategies, and risk, emphasizing that “cybersecurity is a major source of enterprise risk and a consideration for senior leadership.” This pillar will also guide organizations’ leadership in making internal decisions to support its cybersecurity strategy. The framework draft also updated its implementation guidance, especially for creating profiles that tailor guidance for certain situations. Additionally, NIST included implementation examples that are particularly beneficial for smaller firms. The framework’s lead developer, Cherilyn Pascoe, mentioned the framework has proven useful across many different sectors like small businesses and foreign governments, therefore it was updated to be a useful tool to sectors, regardless of type or size, outside of those designated as critical. A major goal of the updated version of the framework is to show organizations how to leverage existing technology frameworks, standards, and guidelines to implement NIST’s framework. Furthermore, the framework title changed from “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” to “The Cybersecurity Framework” to reflect its expanded inclusivity and wide adoption.
Public comments must be received by November 4.
CFPB contests motions for preliminary injunctions to block enforcement of Small Business Lending Rule
On August 22, the CFPB filed an opposition to a motion made by a group of intervenors seeking to expand the scope of a preliminary injunction issued by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which enjoined the CFPB from implementing its Small Business Lending Rule. As previously covered by InfoBytes, the original plaintiffs in the litigation, a Texas banking association and a Texas bank, challenged the legality of the CFPB’s Small Business Lending Rule. After the American Bankers Association joined the case, the plaintiffs sought, and the court granted, a preliminary injunction enjoining implementation and enforcement of the rule against plaintiffs and their members. The intervenors, who consist of both banking and credit union trade associations, as well as individual banks and credit unions, seek a nationwide injunction that would apply beyond the parties to the case, or at least to the intervenors and their members. The CFPB’s opposition to this request for an expanded preliminary injunction argues that the intervenors fail to show that they would suffer immediate harm from enforcement of the Small Business Lending Rule.
In a related matter, on August 21, a group of Kentucky banks and a Kentucky banking association filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky against the CFPB, seeking a preliminary injunction enjoining the CFPB from enforcing the Small Business Lending Rule against the plaintiffs and their members. Referencing the parallel Texas litigation, the Kentucky plaintiffs allege that they are entitled to an order enjoining enforcement of the Small Business Lending Rule against them for the same reasons that the Texas district court enjoined enforcement of the rule.
The most recent litigation activity follows a request from a group of trade associations to the CFPB to take administrative action to address the disparity in compliance dates that results from the district court’s injunction, a disparity that the trade associations argue is both unfair and disruptive to the market’s compliance efforts. The CFPB declined this request.
Both of these challenges to the Small Business Lending Rule point to a recent decision issued by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Community Financial Services Association of America v. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, where the court found that the CFPB’s “perpetual self-directed, double-insulated funding structure” violated the Constitution’s Appropriations Clause (covered by InfoBytes here), as justification for why the final rule should ultimately be set aside.
2nd Circuit affirms dismissal of FCA claims following government motion to dismiss
On August 21, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upheld the dismissal of a whistleblower False Claims Act (FCA) case, holding that FCA qui tam relator complaints may be dismissed upon the government’s motion without a hearing, provided the district court consider the parties’ arguments. The plaintiff qui tam here alleged that a bank (defendant) failed to pay penalties to the government for violating economic sanctions. Plaintiff’s complaint specifically alleged that defendant facilitated illegal transactions violating economic sanctions and defrauded the government by concealing the extent of its illegal activities during negotiation of a deferred prosecution agreement. In a summary order without precedential effect, the 2nd Circuit upheld the dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint.
Plaintiff’s complaint was initially dismissed by the district court following a motion to dismiss by the government, which intervened in the action to argue that the complaint should be dismissed because it lacked merit and would waste government resources. Consideration of plaintiff’s appeal of the dismissal was delayed until after the Supreme Court issued a decision in Polansky v. Executive Health Resources, Inc., a different FCA case raising applicable issues regarding when the government has the authority to force the dismissal of an FCA case brought by a whistleblower.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Polansky, the 2nd Circuit upheld the dismissal of plaintiff’s complaint, reasoning that district court properly dismissed the qui tam relator claim after the government’s intervention seeking dismissal, since the defendant bank had not yet answered the complaint or moved for summary judgment. The 2nd Circuit held that “the district met the hearing requirement” established by Polansky for dismissing qui tam relator cases through its careful consideration of the briefs and materials submitted by the parties. In reaching this conclusion, the 2nd Circuit noted that Polansky does “not mandate universal requirements” for an FCA hearing in every case. The 2nd Circuit also rejected plaintiff’s due process arguments, plaintiff’s claim that the court failed to evaluate defendant’s settlement with the government resolving related criminal and administrative violations, and plaintiff’s claim that the district court erred in denying its motion for an indicative ruling, based on new evidence published while the appeal was pending.
OCC announces Tropical Storm Hilary disaster relief
On August 21, the OCC issued a proclamation providing discretion to OCC-regulated institutions to close offices affected by Tropical Storm Hilary in California, Nevada, and Arizona “for as long as deemed necessary for bank operation or public safety.” The proclamation directs institutions to OCC Bulletin 2012-28 for further guidance on actions they should take in response to natural disasters and other emergency conditions. According to the OCC, only bank offices directly affected by potentially unsafe conditions should close, and institutions should make every effort to reopen as quickly as possible to address customers’ banking needs.
Find continuing InfoBytes coverage on disaster relief here.