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  • Federal Reserve Governor Calls for Collaboration Between Banks and Fintech Firms for Safe and Secure Payment System

    Fintech

    On October 18, Federal Reserve Board Governor, Jerome H. Powell, spoke at the 41st Annual Central Banking Seminar regarding the impact of technology on retail banking and payment services. Powell noted that rapidly changing technology for more timely and convenient payment methods, “should not come at the cost of a safe and secure payment system. . .” In doing so, he encouraged banks, fintech companies, and all other stakeholders in the industry to collaborate to achieve a payment system that is reliable, secure, and convenient.

    Powell went on to highlight the work of the Faster Payments Task Force (as previously covered by InfoBytes) and the Secure Payments Task Force. For secure payments, he discussed the Federal Reserve’s plan to launch a study analyzing payment security vulnerabilities in early 2018 and its plan to establish work groups focused on approaches for reducing the prevalence and cost of specific payment security vulnerabilities.

    As covered by InfoBytes, the OCC Acting Comptroller of Currency, Keith A. Noreika, also recently spoke about the continuing innovation of banks and fintech companies within the financial technology sector.

    Fintech Federal Issues Federal Reserve Payments Consumer Finance

  • President Trump Signs Law to Prevent Elder Abuse and Exploitation

    Federal Issues

    On October 18, President Trump signed the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act, which establishes new requirements aimed at improving the DOJ’s response to elder abuse crimes. Among other things, S 178 expands data collection and information sharing provisions to prevent financial crimes committed against seniors. The law also broadens the federal criminal code to include “email marketing” fraud, such as marketing measures designed to induce the commitment to a loan. Other notable provisions include enhanced penalties for fraud and increased training for federal investigators and prosecutors. Further, the law requires the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection and the DOJ to appoint elder justice coordinators to oversee enforcement, consumer education efforts, and policy activities related to elder justice issues.

    Federal Issues Federal Legislation Consumer Finance FTC DOJ Elder Financial Exploitation Trump

  • FDIC Chairman Discusses Role of Research in Preventing Consumer Harm

    Federal Issues

    On October 13, FDIC Chairman Martin J. Gruenberg spoke at the Seventh Annual FDIC Consumer Research Symposium in Arlington, Virginia. In prepared remarks, Gruenberg discussed his views on the importance of engaging with the independent research community to better understand “consumers’ capabilities, knowledge, and preferences for financial services, as well as their experiences in the financial services market.” According to Gruenberg, the FDIC’s current supervisory approach focuses on methods to “identify, address, and mitigate the risk of consumer harm” at supervised financial institutions, and include the following: (i) an examination process to evaluate whether an institution minimizes the risk of consumer harm by having appropriate policies and procedures and other measures in place to ensure its products and services are compliant with applicable law; (ii) a process to identify how consumers use the information in the context of a given product when establishing which disclosures to prioritize in a risk-based exam; and (iii) a system to analyze data collected through Call Reports, HMDA, and the Community Reinvestment Act designed to identify potential areas of risk and gain insight into supervised institutions’ operations.

    Additionally, Gruenberg noted that research helps the FDIC identify opportunities to expand consumers’ access to mainstream financial services. According to recent FDIC data, 7 percent of households are unbanked and an additional 19.9 percent are underbanked—in total, 90 million Americans, or about 27 percent of households. The data, Gruenberg emphasized, “is regularly cited by financial institutions, non-profit organizations, and public officials as providing a basis for understanding the scope of economic inclusion challenges in their communities and as a starting point for considering approaches that can enhance economic inclusion.”

    Federal Issues FDIC Consumer Finance Bank Compliance

  • HUD Secretary Carson Testifies at House Financial Services Committee Hearing, Discusses Use of FCA Against FHA Lenders

    Federal Issues

    On October 12, Secretary of HUD, Ben Carson, testified at a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee. The hearing entitled “The Future of Housing in America: Oversight of the Department of Housing and Urban Development,” provided an update on HUD’s vision for federal housing policy and touched upon topics such as the conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the agency’s role in hurricane disaster relief, and regulatory reform efforts. In his written testimony, Carson reaffirmed his personal interest, and that of the President Trump’s Administration, in working with the Committee on housing finance reform, specifically referencing the FHA mortgage insurance program and Ginnie Mae mortgage-backed security guaranty as “vital components” of the housing finance system. Towards the end of the three-hour-long hearing, Carson was asked by Representative Dave Trott (R-MI) about the federal government’s “unprecedented” use of the False Claims Act (FCA) as a means to “impose outrageous penalties against lenders for immaterial defects” in HFA loan originations, which, according to Rep. Trott, is turning lenders away from FHA lending and is resulting in increased costs to borrowers. Carson stated that his staff is already engaged in discussions with the DOJ staff and is “committed to getting that resolved, because it’s ridiculous, quite frankly.” Carson added, “I’m not exactly sure why there had been such an escalation previously, but the long-term effects of that escalation is obviously providing fewer appropriate choices for consumers, and that’s exactly the opposite of what we should be doing.”

    Federal Issues HUD House Financial Services Committee DOJ False Claims Act / FIRREA Mortgages FHA

  • OCC Acting Comptroller Shares Thoughts on Opportunities to Reduce Regulatory Burdens

    Federal Issues

    On October 5, OCC Acting Comptroller of the Currency Keith Noreika spoke before the 2017 Midsize Bank Coalition of America Chief Risk Officer Meeting to discuss opportunities for regulatory reform.

    According to Noreika, one area of concern relates to the adverse effect arbitrary asset thresholds pose to the annual stress test requirements required under the Dodd-Frank Act because the burden “is not commensurate with the systemic risks presented by an institution.” Given the amount of diversity in the business models of banks who have around $10 billion in assets, “regulators need the ability and authority to tailor their supervision to the unique risks presented by individual banks.” Noreika suggested an approach that would give federal banking agencies the authority to tailor statutory stress testing requirements without an asset threshold, thus reducing the risk of banks growing beyond the threshold to offset increased costs or staying below the threshold to avoid unwelcome scrutiny.

    Noreika also urged for interagency harmonization of guidance and policies to avoid conflicting regulatory guidance when addressing cybersecurity issues.

    Additionally, Noreika addressed the CFPB’s arbitration rule as an example of the need to work “to ensure regulation is balanced and appropriate by speaking up when we see proposed rules that may adversely affect the business of banking, have systemic effects, or result in perverse unintended consequences.” Noreika stated that prior to the publication of the final arbitration rule, the OCC requested access to the data the CFPB used to develop and support the rule in order to conduct an independent review. However, it was not until after the rule was published that the CFPB made the data available. According to OCC findings, the rule will adversely impact consumers by increasing costs. Community banks, Noreika noted, will also bear the burden of increased legal costs from defending lawsuits.

    Finally, Noreika commented that banks continue to face challenges when trying to implement Bank Secrecy Act compliance programs and adapt to new requirements under TRID, HMDA, and the Military Lending Act.

    Federal Issues Agency Rule-Making & Guidance OCC Bank Compliance Dodd-Frank Stress Test Arbitration CFPB Privacy/Cyber Risk & Data Security

  • Treasury Report Calls for Extensive Regulatory Relief to Capital Markets

    Federal Issues

    On October 6, the U.S. Treasury Department published a report that focuses on capital market oversight and outlines challenges and recommendations to reduce regulatory burdens. The report, “A Financial System That Creates Economic Opportunities: Capital Markets,” is the second in a series of four the Treasury plans to issue in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 13772, which mandated a review of financial regulations for inconsistencies with promoted “Core Principles.” (See Buckley Sandler Special Alert here.) The report notes that while certain capital market regulatory framework elements function well, there remain significant challenges. Specifically, the report recommends—among other things—reducing fragmentation, overlap, and duplication in the U.S. regulatory structure. This includes focusing on effecting changes to promote efficiency and more clearly defining regulatory mandates that would allow agencies to issue joint rulemaking and foster coordination. 

    Treasury’s recommendations focus primarily on market regulations but also build upon themes identified in the first report published in June 2017, which primarily focused on solutions for providing relief to banks and credit unions. The second report identifies recommendations, actions, and associated “Core Principles” within the following categories:

    • “promoting access to capital for all types of companies, including small and growing businesses, through reduction of regulatory burden and improved market access to investment opportunities”;
    • “fostering robust secondary markets in equity and debt”;
    • “appropriately tailoring regulations on securitized products to encourage lending and risk transfer”;
    • “recalibrating derivatives regulations to promote market efficiency and effective risk mitigation”;
    • “ensuring proper risk management for [central counterparties] and other financial market utilities because of the critical role they play in the financial system”;
    • “rationalizing and modernizing the U.S. capital markets regulatory structure and process”; and
    • “advancing U.S. interests by promoting a level playing field internationally.”

    A fact sheet accompanying the report further highlights Treasury’s recommendations to streamline regulations.

    Federal Issues Department of Treasury Securities Capital Requirements Risk Management

  • FDIC to Host Teleconference on HMDA Implementation

    Federal Issues

    On October 26, the FDIC’s Division of Depositor and Consumer Protection is scheduled to host a teleconference that will focus on the implementation of the 2015 HMDA Final Rule requirements scheduled to take effect January 1, 2018. The FDIC encourages financial institutions to submit questions prior to October 20 to be included during a Q&A segment following the formal presentation. Registration is required.

    Federal Issues FDIC HMDA Mortgages

  • FDIC Releases October List of CRA Compliance Examinations

    Federal Issues

    On October 5, the FDIC published its monthly list of state nonmember banks recently evaluated for CRA compliance. The list reports CRA evaluation ratings assigned to institutions in July 2017 as required by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989. Of the 59 banks evaluated, six were rated “Outstanding,” 52 received a “Satisfactory” rating, and one was rated “Needs to Improve.” Monthly lists of all state nonmember banks and their evaluations that have been made publicly available may be accessed through the FDIC’s website.

    Federal Issues Bank Compliance CRA FDIC

  • DOJ Civil Rights Division Issues Annual Report to Congress

    Federal Issues

    In September, the DOJ Civil Rights Division issued its Annual Report to Congress regarding its 2016 activities related to the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), the Fair Housing Act (FHA), and the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Highlights include:

    • Fair lending: The DOJ opened 18 fair lending investigations; filed seven lawsuits and settled six of them; and obtained almost $37 million in relief. At the end of 2016, the DOJ had 33 open fair lending investigations.
    • Servicemembers Civil Relief Act: In November 2016, the DOJ announced a new pilot program funding additional attorneys and resources to support enforcement efforts related to the SCRA. In addition, the DOJ entered into two SCRA settlements, initiated a new lawsuit (subsequently settled in 2017), and continued to support distribution of compensation under the National Mortgage Settlement.
    • ECOA/FHA Referrals: The DOJ received 22 ECOA and FHA referrals in 2016; opened eight investigations from these referrals; and noted that all but one of the lawsuits filed by the Civil Rights Division in 2016 were based in part on referrals.

    Federal Issues DOJ Congress Enforcement ECOA FHA SCRA Fair Lending

  • Fannie Mae Updates Servicing Guidelines for Multifamily Residences

    Lending

    On September 29, Fannie Mae released updates to its servicing guidelines for multifamily residences, effective October 2. Fannie Mae is updating provisions concerning Asset Management and Watchlist Management. Changes include:

    • removing color descriptions that previously corresponded to defined Mortgage Loan rating classifications;
    • updating the rating classification descriptions and/or characteristics to conform to regulatory definitions for Pass/Watch and Special Mention Assets; and
    • requiring Servicers provide an explanation and status of the issues causing an Asset to be reported on the Servicer Watchlist.

    Agency Rule-Making & Guidance Fannie Mae Lending Mortgage Servicing Federal Issues Servicing Guide

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