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In an article in the ABA’s Business Law Today, partner Meg Tahyar expresses concern about a recent trend in which the role of banks’ legal staffs has been constrained and reduced as separate risk and compliance functions have grown in prominence. She says this is the opposite of the trend…
Continue Reading It’s Time to Rebuild the Role of Bank Legal Departments

In a long-awaited milestone, the SEC has proposed an update of Guide 3, the industry guide for banking organizations.  The proposal eliminates a number of the current requirements under Guide 3 and streamlines many of those that remain.  The three “new” credit quality ratios in the proposal are, in practice,…
Continue Reading Better Late Than Never: SEC Proposes Guide 3 Update

As we look forward to fall, we have updated our brief deck summarizing the leadership and staffing changes among federal financial regulators, including announced nominations, confirmations, resignations and expiring terms.  The first slide summarizes the state of play for the agencies’ principals; the later slides provide a deeper look on…
Continue Reading Status of Financial Regulatory Leadership Changes

The Financial Standards Accounting Board (FASB) voted on Wednesday to propose delaying the implementation date of the Current Expected Credit Losses accounting standard (CECL) until 2023, for all companies other than larger SEC filers.  The proposal would reduce the number of implementation dates from three to…
Continue Reading CECL Delayed for Small and Private Companies, But 2020 Implementation is Likely Here to Stay

On June 21, 2019, the SEC adopted security-based swap (SBS) capital, margin and segregation requirements (the SEC Rules) for SBS dealers (SBSDs) and major SBS participants, revised the capital and segregation requirements for broker-dealers that are not SBSDs to the extent they engage in SBS…
Continue Reading Visual Memorandum: SEC’s Security-Based Swap Capital, Margin and Segregation Rules

Broker-dealer custody of on-blockchain assets has been a key hurdle in the development of a more regulated financial infrastructure for digital assets in the United States.  In a joint statement (the Joint Statement), the staffs of the SEC and FINRA outlined their concerns about broker-dealers’ ability to comply with…
Continue Reading Davis Polk Client Memorandum: SEC and FINRA Staffs Highlight Broker-Dealer Regulatory Challenges Raised by Digital Assets—And Hint at Solutions

The SEC adopted its long-awaited Regulation Best Interest, establishing new standard of conduct regulations for SEC-registered broker-dealers and their associated persons that are natural persons.  At the same time, the SEC adopted (i) a new relationship summary disclosure requirement, on Form CRS, for broker-dealers and investment advisers who offer services…
Continue Reading Davis Polk Visual Memorandum: SEC Adopts Regulation Best Interest, Form CRS and Related Advisers Act Interpretations

In his final speech to the FIA, Chairman Giancarlo last week discussed three cross border swaps proposals that he will schedule for Commission consideration before he steps down on July 15.  Giancarlo has been particularly focused during his tenure on advancing a cross border swaps framework based on regulatory deference…
Continue Reading Giancarlo Races to the Cross Border Line

As summer gets underway, we have updated our brief deck summarizing the leadership and staffing changes among federal financial regulators, including announced nominations, confirmations, resignations and expiring terms.  The first slide summarizes the state of play for the agencies’ principals; the later slides provide a deeper look on an agency-by-agency…
Continue Reading Status of Financial Regulatory Leadership Changes

On Friday, the SEC proposed a package of rule amendments and regulatory guidance regarding the cross-border application of its security-based swap (“SBS”) rules.  The proposal represents an attempt by the SEC to reconsider certain aspects of the cross-border application of SBS regulatory requirements that market participants have identified…
Continue Reading SEC Cross-Border Proposal Balances Burdens and Benefits of New SBS Regime