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FDIC Chairman Jelena McWilliams has announced a “Trust through Transparency” initiative that is remarkable and well worth a read.  In our view, there are three main takeaways.  One is the importance of transparency to public trust in a Democracy, the second is how important it is that the government be…
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This blog post lays out the pros and cons that boards and senior management of regional and community banking organizations should consider in light of the Zions decision to shed its bank holding company.[1]  Some have suggested that directors of BHCs now have a fiduciary duty to consider shedding…
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Financial services regulatory reform in 2018 continues to evolve.  As we leave summer behind, here is the Fall Focus edition of our reference tool, which provides context and summarizes current developments across a range of key regulatory areas, agencies and actors.  We will continue to track these issues and will…
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The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has granted conditional approval to digital-banking startup Varo Bank (previously Varo Money) of its application to form a de novo national bank.  Varo Bank, N.A. would become the first mobile-only national bank in United States. This is an interesting…
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The Center for Financial Stability is providing a freely accessible Financial Timeline, curated by Senior Fellow Yubo Wang.  The timeline, created in 2010 and actively maintained, charts more than 1,100 developments across the markets, institutions, the Federal Reserve, Treasury and other sources, from 2007 to the present.  This resource, which…
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The ability of banks to sell the loans they originate is a core element in the development and sustainability of a nationwide lending market.  Recent legal developments threaten to undermine this ability, jeopardizing the foundation of a U.S. nationwide loan market and the core lending activities of banks.

A long-settled…
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The U.S. financial services industry continues to be faced with changes in technology – machine learning, database capabilities, automated process, and innovative products – that change the manner, speed and security with which financial services and products can be provided.  Those of us familiar with the longer term evolution of…
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The Federal Reserve’s current approach to determining whether a banking organization has control over another company for purposes of the Bank Holding Company Act can discourage fintech investments by banking organizations.  This impact was discussed in the Treasury Department’s report on nonbank financial institutions, fintech and innovation.  The report highlights…
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The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision last week published a revised assessment methodology to determine whether a banking organization is a global systemically important bank (“GSIB”) and a GSIB’s associated capital surcharge requirement.  The revised methodology reflects the following changes from the current methodology, which are expected…
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Financial services regulatory reform in 2018 continues to evolve.  For those of you who have been thinking you might catch up over the summer lull, here is the summer beach read edition of our reference tool, which provides context and summarizes current developments across a range of key regulatory areas,…
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