Compliance into the Weeds: Settlement of OCC Charges for Wells Fargo Internal Auditors
Strengthening Compliance: Lessons From the OCC's Consent Order With Patriot Bank — Payments Pros – The Payments Law Podcast
2024 Payments Year in Review: CFPB and FTC Regulatory Trends – Part Four — Payments Pros – The Payments Law Podcast
Compliance Tip of the Day: TD Bank Lessons Learned – The Penalty of Growth Restrictions
Climate Risk, the emerging risk
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: Community Reinvestment Act Reform: A Close Look at the Final Rule
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: What the Recent Developments in Federal Preemption for National and State Banks Mean for Bank and Nonbank Consumer Financial Services Providers
Federal Banking Interagency Final Guidance on Third-Party Relationships - The Consumer Finance Podcast
Corruption, Crime and Compliance : CFPB and OCC Hit Bank of America with $250 Million Penalty for Consumer Abuse Practices
CFPB's Section 1071 Final Rule (Part 3): Potential Problem Areas – The Consumer Finance Podcast
Crypto Year in Review 2022: Federal Reserve and Central Bank Digital Currencies and FDIC/OCC Regulatory Developments - The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Crypto Enforcement Is Here, and Always Has Been
Congressional and Federal Agency Action Following Executive Order on Digital Assets Policy
Guidepost in Motion: Banking on Crypto
Compliance into the Weeds: Episode 161-OCC Guidance on 3rd Party Risk Management
Episode 127 -- Deep Dive into the OCC Enforcement Action Against Wells Fargo CEO and Senior Executives
Dealing with an Unsolicited Offer - The Bank Account
The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA): Recap and What to Expect in 2014
The New Normal: Taking Responsibility for Your Vendors
This third installment in our series of insights on bank charter considerations describes the process for seeking regulatory approval to form or acquire a bank....more
On March 7, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published Interpretive Letter 1183, which is expected to clarify and streamline national banks’ ability to engage in cryptocurrency activities....more
The D.C. federal district court hearing the lawsuit filed by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) seeking to block the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency from granting a national bank charter to Figure...more
In This Issue. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted preliminary conditional approval to a third cryptocurrency firm chartering a national trust bank; the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)...more
The Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS) has filed a lawsuit in D.C. federal district court to block the OCC from granting a national bank charter to Figure Technologies Inc. According to the complaint, Figure,...more
On December 7, 2020, several bank and credit union trade associations (collectively, the “Associations”) submitted a joint letter (the “Letter”) to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the “OCC”) opposing the...more
Federal Banking Agencies Issue New Guidance on Managing the LIBOR Transition - The member agencies of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (“FFIEC”) have issued joint guidance for banking organizations...more
Despite often operating on a nationwide scale, fintech companies rarely meet the stringent requirements for obtaining a national banking charter. Under the current regulatory landscape, these companies must therefore secure...more
On July 31, 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) approved the national bank charter application of Varo Bank, N.A., a wholly-owned subsidiary of fintech Varo Money, Inc. The approved application is for a...more
As we reported, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Brian Brooks has previewed the OCC’s plans to introduce another special purpose national bank charter that would give payment companies a nationwide servicing platform and...more
On July 31, 2020, Varo Money Inc. announced that it was granted a national bank charter by the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The charter will allow Varo, a mobile banking fintech, to launch a national...more
A new Payments Charter could enable entities to engage in payments-related activities on a nationwide basis, rather than by state. The US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) newly appointed Acting...more
The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) has filed its opening brief with the Second Circuit in the OCC’s appeal from the district court’s final judgment in DFS’s lawsuit challenging the OCC’s issuance of special...more
For the first time, a U.S. fintech company is acquiring a regulated U.S. bank, which will give it access to a stable and cheaper source of funding – as well as a national bank charter. On February 18th, LendingClub, one of...more
On February 7, all-mobile banking services startup Varo Money, Inc. (“Varo”) received the FDIC’s approval of its federal deposit insurance application for Varo Bank, N.A. (in formation) (the “Bank”). The FDIC’s approval...more
Whenever discussing bank charter types, I’m reminded of a comparison made by Walt Moeling. Walt would always say that the bank charter choice is like choosing between a Ford and a Chevy truck. There are strong, die-hard...more
The New York Department of Financial Services was told by a federal court in New York that it could proceed with its lawsuit challenging plans of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency to accept and consider...more
In this episode, John ReVeal discusses the background of OCC special purpose charter for FinTechs, including authority and scope. The episode also addresses the concerns and requirements for most FinTechs, including the...more
Some commenters have opined that the litigation risk surrounding the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (“OCC”) proposed special purpose national bank charter for Fintechs (“Fintech Charter”) is deterring applicants...more
Given the heavily regulated nature of financial services in the United States, it should not be a surprise that one of the biggest challenges facing the “fintech” industry is regulatory uncertainty. As explained by the...more
Last fall, we reported that one fintech company – Varo Money, Inc. – a mobile banking startup helping customers solve financial problems, manage money and reach financial goals, applied to the Office of the Comptroller of the...more
In a press release, the organizers of Varo Bank, N.A. announced they have been granted preliminary approval by the OCC of their application to form a de novo national bank, which they claim “put[s] Varo on track to become the...more
Earlier this summer the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued the anticipated announcement that fintech companies engaged in the business of banking may apply for special purpose national bank charters. ...more
On July 31, 2018, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) announced that it would begin accepting applications for national bank charters from FinTech entities that satisfy the licensing requirements for...more
The U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced that it would begin accepting national bank charter applications from non-depository FinTech companies that seek to engage in the business of banking. In...more