It was a muted start to the year for the acquisition and leveraged finance market due to a challenging macroeconomic climate. Interest rate hikes at one of the fastest paces on record, surging inflation (particularly in...more
4/5/2024
/ Acquisitions ,
AML/CFT ,
Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) ,
Base Erosion Tax ,
Capital Markets ,
Commercial Bankruptcy ,
Corporate Taxes ,
EBITDA ,
Economic Sanctions ,
Financial Markets ,
Foreign Direct Investment ,
Insolvency ,
Interest Payments ,
Leveraged Finance ,
Loan Guaranties ,
Mergers ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Secured Debt ,
Spain ,
Tax Deductions ,
UK ,
Unsecured Debt
The Proposal clarifies the FDIC’s bank merger approval process but may prove challenging for new large bank consolidations with the FDIC as the primary regulator.
On March 21, 2024, the Board of Directors of the Federal...more
4/4/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Anti-Competitive ,
Anti-Money Laundering ,
Anti-Monopoly ,
Bank Merger Act ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Banks ,
Community Reinvestment Act ,
Dodd-Frank ,
FDIC ,
Industry Consolidation ,
Merger Reviews ,
Mergers ,
Policy Statement ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Public Comment ,
Risk Assessment
Banking agencies are alleged to have exceeded their congressional authorization, with potentially adverse consequences on banks and consumers.
On February 5, 2024, several banking trade groups[1] (the Plaintiffs) sued...more
A recent bipartisan bill, if enacted, would particularly benefit small lenders and bank-fintech partnerships by promoting transparency, appellate rights, and examiner accountability.
On December 14, 2023, a bipartisan...more
The OCC outlines safety and soundness principles and appropriate risk management processes for its regulated institutions that engage in venture lending.
On November 1, 2023, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency...more
11/29/2023
/ Banking Crisis ,
Banking Sector ,
Commercial Loans ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Lenders ,
New Guidance ,
OCC ,
Risk Management ,
State Charters
Guidance for the largest US financial institutions is intended to promote climate risk management consistent with general safety and soundness practices.
On October 30, 2023, the three US federal bank regulatory agencies...more
11/8/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Biden Administration ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Executive Orders ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
New Guidance ,
OCC ,
Policies and Procedures ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management ,
Strategic Planning
A new program addresses innovative banking activities such as bank-fintech partnerships and digital assets while reinforcing guardrails around stablecoin activity.
On August 8, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal...more
8/16/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
Banks ,
Compliance ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Programs ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
FRB ,
Risk-Based Approaches ,
Stablecoins
After a lengthy “holistic” review and a spring banking crisis, US bank capital requirements finally face overhaul.
On July 10, 2023, US Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr delivered a...more
7/21/2023
/ Banking Crisis ,
Banking Sector ,
Basel III ,
Capital Requirements ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Global Systemically Important Banks (G-SIBs) ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Mitigation ,
SIFMA ,
Stress Tests
Governor Bowman calls for transparent supervisory expectations and attention to the consequences of regulatory reform on the broader financial system.
On June 25, 2023, US Federal Reserve Board (FRB) Governor Michelle W....more
7/6/2023
/ Banking Crisis ,
Capital Requirements ,
Dodd-Frank ,
EGRRCPA ,
Emerging Technologies ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Information Reports ,
Liquidity ,
Prudential Standards ,
Regulatory Reform
The guidance outlines principles and key considerations for banking organizations as they navigate risks associated with third parties, including fintechs.
On June 6, 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation...more
6/23/2023
/ Banking Sector ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
FinTech ,
FRB ,
Interagency Guidance ,
OCC ,
Risk Management ,
Third-Party ,
Third-Party Relationships ,
Third-Party Risk
The legislation mirrors anti-“industry boycott” legislation introduced or passed in other US states and provides more explicit rubrics of prohibited factors.
On May 5, 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law...more
The spring of 2023 saw more dislocation in the global financial sector than any time since the 2008-09 financial crisis. In the US, banking institutions with over $500 billion in total assets failed, and other banks that were...more
6/5/2023
/ Banking Crisis ,
Banking Sector ,
Capital Requirements ,
Deposit Insurance ,
EU ,
Financial Crisis ,
Financial Regulatory Agencies ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Global Economy ,
Liquidity ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
UK
Congress will be “starting from scratch” in attempting to establish a regulatory framework for stablecoins — an issue that many believe is the top digital asset legislative priority.
On April 15, 2023, the US House...more
In contrast with the White House’s position, the Vice Chairman denied that loosened Dodd-Frank rules contributed to the recent bank failures.
On April 12, 2023, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Vice Chairman...more
4/20/2023
/ Banking Regulators ,
Banks ,
Biden Administration ,
Dodd-Frank ,
EGRRCPA ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Insolvency ,
Interest Rates ,
Online Banking ,
Securities ,
Silicon Valley ,
Social Networks ,
Stress Tests ,
Technology Sector ,
U.S. Treasury
President Biden is calling for tougher standards and supervision for large regional banks in the wake of recent instability in the US banking sector.
On March 30, 2023, the White House issued a Fact Sheet calling on the...more
4/4/2023
/ Banks ,
Biden Administration ,
Deregulation ,
Dodd-Frank ,
FDIC ,
Financial Institutions ,
FRB ,
OCC ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Relief Measures ,
Trump Administration
The bipartisan bill would provide a federal safe harbor for non-custodial blockchain service providers from state money transmission and digital asset licensing laws.
On March 23, 2023, US House of Representatives...more
3/31/2023
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
BitLicense ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Custody ,
FATF ,
FinCEN ,
Market Participants ,
Preemption ,
Proposed Legislation
A legislative initiative in Illinois would establish licensing and consumer protection requirements for digital asset businesses serving consumers in the state.
On February 21, 2023, the Illinois Department of Financial...more
3/29/2023
/ BitLicense ,
Compliance ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinTech ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Authority ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities ,
Stablecoins
The decisive action will mitigate emerging liquidity and solvency risks, contain pressure on the banking system, and protect depositors.
On March 12, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal...more
Custodia Bank was denied Federal Reserve membership, while certain crypto principal activities are deemed presumptively not appropriate for member banks.
On January 27, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve...more
The Guidance clarifies the regulator’s expectations on safekeeping customer digital assets, and the disclosures that must accompany such arrangements.
On January 23, 2023, the New York Department of Financial Services...more
2/3/2023
/ Banks ,
BitLicense ,
Cryptoassets ,
Custodians ,
Digital Assets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insolvency ,
New Guidance ,
NYDFS ,
Virtual Currency
The Acting Comptroller of the OCC discussed the limits of large bank manageability and the steps that regulators can take to address the risks posed by size and complexity.
On January 17, 2023, Acting Comptroller of the...more
Banking organizations should ensure appropriate risk management, but regulators are skeptical of certain crypto activities as principal.
On January 3, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal...more
1/12/2023
/ Banking Regulators ,
Banking Sector ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
FDIC ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Joint Statements ,
OCC ,
Risk Assessment ,
Risk Management
The Guidance would increase expectations for regulated financial institutions to identify, measure, monitor, and control climate-related financial risks.
For the past few years, the New York State Department of Financial...more
Digital asset activities of licensed institutions must be approved and will be assessed for potential safety and soundness risks.
On December 15, 2022, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued...more
The guiding principles are similar to related proposals from other banking regulators, but will require further clarification through the comment process.
On December 2, 2022, the Board of Governors of the Federal...more
12/12/2022
/ Climate Change ,
Comment Period ,
Corporate Governance ,
Federal Reserve ,
Financial Institutions ,
Foreign Banks ,
Governance Standards ,
Large Financial Institutions (LFIs) ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Risk Management ,
Risk-Based Approaches ,
Strategic Planning ,
Supervision