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OCC Issues Updated RESPA Examination Guidance to Supervised Institutions
On April 14, the OCC issued the “Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act” booklet as part of the Comptroller’s Handbook, which is prepared for use by OCC examiners in connection with their examination and supervision of national banks and federal savings associations (collectively, “banks”). The revised booklet, which replaces a similarly titled booklet issued in October 2011, reflects updated guidance relating to mortgage servicing and loss mitigation procedures resulting from the multiple amendments made to Regulation X over the past several years. Notable revisions reflected in the revised booklet include: (i) the transfer of rulemaking authority for Regulation X from HUD to the CFPB; (ii) new requirements relating to mortgage servicing; (iii) new loss mitigation procedures; (iv) prohibitions against certain acts and practices by servicers of federally related mortgage loans with regard to responding to borrower assertions of error and requests for information; and (v) updated examination procedures for determining compliance with the new servicing and loss mitigation rules. The OCC notified its applicable supervised financial institutions of the changes affecting all banks that engage in residential mortgage lending activities by distributing OCC Bulletin 2015-25.
Federal Banking Regulators Expand Scope of EGRPRA Review
On April 6, the Federal Reserve, OCC, and FDIC (Agencies) revealed that their ongoing regulatory review under the Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act of 1996 (EGRPRA) will now be expanded to include recently issued regulations. The EGRPRA requires the Agencies and the FFIEC to review and identify outdated, burdensome, or unnecessary regulations at least every 10 years. The regulators have held two public outreach meetings with additional outreach sessions currently scheduled for May 4 in Boston, August 4 in Kansas City, October 19 in Chicago, and concluding on December 2 in Washington, D.C.
Federal Banking Regulators Issue FAQs on the Regulatory Capital Rule
On April 6, three prudential banking regulators – the Federal Reserve, OCC, and FDIC – issued interagency guidance to clarify and answer questions from regulated financial institutions with respect to the regulatory capital rule adopted in 2013. The FAQs address various topics, including (i) the definition of capital; (ii) high-volatility commercial real estate exposures; (iii) other real estate and off-balance sheet exposures; (iv) separate account and equity exposures to investment funds; (v) credit valuation adjustment; and (vi) the definition of a qualifying central counterparty.
Comptroller Curry Remarks on OCC Assistance to Mutual Savings Associations and Community Banks
On March 23, OCC Comptroller Curry delivered remarks at the ABA Mutual Community Bank Conference regarding the agency’s supervision of mutual savings associations and community banks. Curry focused on the agency’s ongoing efforts to assist smaller financial institutions, specifically by reducing some of the unnecessary burden placed on them. Curry outlined three areas in which the agency is urging Congress to take action to reduce burdensome regulation: (i) raising the asset threshold requirement for the 18-month examination cycle from $500 million to $750 million; (ii) exempting community banks from the Volcker Rule requirement; and (iii) making it “easier for thrifts to expand their business model without changing their governance structure.” In addition to recommending actions to Congress, the OCC continues to hold OCC Mutual Savings Association Advisory Committee meetings and support collaboration among community banks to further ensure that smaller institutions can continue to serve their communities.
Fed and OCC Assert Bank Examination Privilege in Mortgage-Backed Securities Class Action
On March 23, the Federal Reserve and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – both non-parties in the suit – filed briefs requesting that a district court reject a motion to compel discovery of over 30,000 documents held by a large bank. Arguing that the documents contain confidential supervisory information, the regulators asserted the bank examination privilege – “a qualified privilege that protects communications between banks and their examiners in order to preserve absolute candor essential to the effective supervision of banks.” As for scope, the regulators argued that the privilege covers the documents because they provide agency opinion, not merely fact, and that any factual information was nonetheless “inextricably linked” with their opinions. Additionally, they contended that the privilege is not strictly limited to communications from the regulator to the bank – instead, it may also cover communications made from the bank to the regulator and communications within the bank. As for procedure, the regulators claimed that a plaintiff is required to request the disclosure of privileged documents through administrative processes before seeking judicial relief, a requirement they contend exists even where a defendant bank also holds copies of the documents. Finally, the regulators argued in the alternative that the lead plaintiff has not shown good cause to override the qualified privilege, as the interests of the government in protecting the supervisory information outweighs the interest of the plaintiffs in production.
OCC Revises Guidance Regarding Consumer Protection Requirements to Overdraft Lines and Protection Services
As previously reported in our March 11 Special Alert Update, on March 6, 2015, the OCC issued its revised “Deposit-Related Credit” booklet (“DRC booklet”) of the Comptroller’s Handbook, which replaced the “Deposit-Related Consumer Credit” booklet issued on February 11, 2015 (previously covered in this Special Alert). While the new booklet covers the same products – check credit (overdraft lines of credit, cash reserves, and special drafts), overdraft protection services, and deposit advances – the OCC made significant amendments to scale back the provisions of the prior version. Specifically, the new DRC booklet no longer contains supervisory principles that could be read to require that banks provide substantive consumer protections that are not currently required by the applicable consumer protection regulations. For example, the DRC booklet no longer requires that banks:
- only enroll customers into an overdraft protection service if they have affirmatively requested that product;
- ensure the ability to repay for all applicants enrolled in an overdraft protection service; and
- ensure that any fees charged in connection with an overdraft protection service are reasonably related to the program’s costs and associated risks.
In making these changes, the OCC requires supervisors to assess DRC products more in line with existing consumer protection laws. The OCC states as much in OCC Bulletin 2015-17, which announced the DRC booklet. There, the OCC acknowledges that the DRC booklet “is intended as a summary restatement of existing laws, regulations, and policies [and] ... [n]othing in this booklet should be interpreted as changing existing OCC policy.”
Special Alert Update: OCC Revises Guidance Regarding Consumer Protection Requirements to Overdraft Lines and Protection Services
On March 6, 2015, the OCC issued its revised “Deposit-Related Credit” booklet (“DRC booklet”) of the Comptroller’s Handbook, which replaced the “Deposit-Related Consumer Credit” booklet issued on February 11, 2015 (previously covered in this Special Alert). While the new booklet covers the same products – check credit (overdraft lines of credit, cash reserves, and special drafts), overdraft protection services, and deposit advances – the OCC made significant amendments to scale back the provisions of the prior version. Specifically, the new DRC booklet no longer contains supervisory principles that could be read to require that banks provide substantive consumer protections that are not currently required by the applicable consumer protection regulations. For example, the DRC booklet no longer requires that banks:
- only enroll customers into an overdraft protection service if they have affirmatively requested that product;
- ensure the ability to repay for all applicants enrolled in an overdraft protection service; and
- ensure that any fees charged in connection with an overdraft protection service are reasonably related to the program’s costs and associated risks.
In making these changes, the OCC requires supervisors to assess DRC products more in line with existing consumer protection laws. The OCC states as much in OCC Bulletin 2015-17, which announced the DRC booklet. There, the OCC acknowledges that the DRC booklet “is intended as a summary restatement of existing laws, regulations, and policies [and] ... [n]othing in this booklet should be interpreted as changing existing OCC policy.”
OCC Comptroller Delivers Remarks Regarding BSA/AML Compliance
On March 2, OCC Comptroller Curry delivered remarks before the Institute of International Bankers regarding BSA/AML compliance obligations for financial institutions. During his remarks, Comptroller Curry emphasized that a top priority for the OCC has been to strengthen BSA/AML compliance at its supervised institutions. In this regard, the OCC has (i) modified its bank examination process so that BSA deficiencies receive proper emphasis in the evaluation of safety and soundness; (ii) focused on the BSA/AML risks posed by third-party relationships; (iii) required that institutions adequately resource their BSA/AML compliance programs; (iv) required institutions to assign accountability for BSA/AML compliance across all business lines presenting BSA/AML risk; and (v) taken enforcement action to enforce BSA/AML compliance when appropriate. Through his remarks, Comptroller Curry also addressed the need to improve the BSA/AML regulatory framework itself. Specifically, Comptroller Curry indicated that the OCC wanted (i) to streamline the SAR reporting process, (ii) to find better ways to use technology to advance BSA/AML goals, and (iii) to increase information sharing by creating safe harbors from civil liability both for financial institutions that file SARs and for financial institutions that share information about financial crimes with each other.
FinCEN Fines Community Bank Over BSA Violations
On February 27, FinCEN announced a $1.5 million civil money penalty against a Pennsylvania-based community bank for violating the BSA. Of that amount, $500,000 will go to the OCC, the bank’s primary regulator, for BSA violations. According to FinCEN, the bank admitted failing to file suspicious activity reports on transactions involving a former state judge who received over $2.6 million in personal payments in connection with a judicial scheme involving the construction, operation, and expansion of juvenile detention centers.
OCC Deputy Comptroller Discusses Risk Management Practices
On February 25, OCC Deputy Comptroller Darrin Benhart delivered remarks at the 16th Annual Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) Risk Management Conference on the OCC’s efforts to improve its ability to “identify, monitor, and respond to emerging risks” that continue to affect the financial services industry. Benhart highlighted the newly formed Supervision Risk Management team, emphasizing its work with the OCC’s National Risk Committee in monitoring emerging threats to the safety and soundness of the federal banking system. More significantly, Benhart commented on the agency’s growing concern with banks’ recent re-evaluations of their business models as they pursue “new ways to generate returns against the backdrop of low interest rates.” In light of this concern, Benhart cautioned bank management to consider the following three risk management areas when assessing potential updates to their existing business models: (i) concentration risk management – ensure that concentrations for financial institutions are effectively identified and measured to prevent heightened credit, interest rate, liquidity, or operational risks; (ii) correlation risk – recognize that the impact of the risk goes beyond the obvious affected borrowers and should focus as well on those indirectly correlated borrowers for whom the exposure is often more difficult to measure and understand; and (iii) over-reliance on historical performance – acknowledge that the financial environment can change and “paradigms can shift.”