On January 9, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (together known as the Banking Agencies) published proposed rules in the Federal Register that are designed to make the regulatory framework related to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) more “objective, transparent, consistent, and easy to understand” (Proposal). The last major revisions to the CRA were made in 1995.
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European Commission Publishes Communication on Its Equivalence Policy With Non-EU Countries
Posted in EU Developments, Financial Markets
On July 29, the European Commission (EC) published a communication on equivalence in the area of financial services (Communication). The EC states that, in light of recent policy developments, it is timely to take stock of the EU’s approach to equivalence.
The Communication discusses the purpose and importance of equivalence. The EC states that each new decision is looked at individually and in detail to ensure that the policies of third countries are compatible with those of the EU, and that any equivalence determination is beneficial to, and sustainable for, both parties.EU financial services law includes approximately 40 provisions that allow the EC to adopt equivalence decisions and as of July 29, the EC has adopted more than 280 equivalence decisions for more than 30 countries.
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CFPB’s Prepaid Cards Rule Escapes Coverage Under the Congressional Review Act
By Christina Grigorian & Lauren Haahr on
Posted in Banking
Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), Congress can review and overrule any federal regulations imposed during the final six months of the previous administration with a simple majority vote in each branch of Congress. However, Congress’ power is limited under the CRA because it can only introduce and vote on a CRA resolution within 60 …
Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies Release CRA Asset-Size Thresholds for Small and Intermediate Small Institutions
By Jeffrey M. Werthan on
Posted in Banking
On December 22, 2015, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, Agencies) announced the annual adjustment to the asset-size thresholds used to define small bank, small savings association, intermediate small bank and intermediate small savings association under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations. Financial institutions are evaluated under different CRA examination procedures based upon their asset-size classification. Those meeting the small and intermediate small institution asset-size thresholds are not subject to the reporting requirements applicable to large banks and savings associations.
Continue Reading Federal Bank Regulatory Agencies Release CRA Asset-Size Thresholds for Small and Intermediate Small Institutions