The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published a final rule on October 27 that adopts a “bright line test” for determining when a national bank or federal savings bank (bank) is the “true lender” in connection with a loan originated pursuant to a third-party partnership (Final Rule). Under the Final Rule, a Bank makes a loan when it, as of the date of origination, (1) is named as the lender in the loan agreement; or (2) funds the loan. In cases where one bank is named as the lender in the loan agreement and another bank funds the loan, the bank named as the lender in the loan agreement is deemed to have “made” the loan.
Continue Reading OCC Issues Final “True Lender” Rule

On October 20, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the National Credit Union Administration (each, a Banking Agency, and collectively, the Banking Agencies) published a proposed rule (the Proposed Rule) that would codify the Interagency Statement Clarifying the Role of Supervisory Guidance issued by the Banking Agencies on September 11, 2018 (the 2018 Statement). The 2018 Statement provided that regulatory guidance did not have the force and effect of law and did not create binding obligations on the public.
Continue Reading Banking Agencies Issue Proposed Rule Addressing Role of Supervisory Guidance

On July 29, the Attorneys General for the States of California, Illinois and New York (State AGs) filed suit seeking declaratory and injunctive relief in the US District Court for the Northern District of California (Complaint) against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the primary federal regulator for national banks and federal savings banks (each, a Bank), in connection with the OCC’s issuance of its final “valid when made” rule that was effective on August 3 (VWM Rule).
Continue Reading California, Illinois and New York File Suit Against OCC’s “Valid When Made” Final Rule

On June 25, the five prudential regulators responsible for the margin rules for bank swap dealers (the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Farm Credit Administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency) adopted one final rule and one interim final rule that modify their original framework for margining uncleared swaps.
Continue Reading Prudential Regulators Revise Initial Margin Rules for Uncleared Swaps

On June 25, the five regulators responsible for Section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (Volcker Rule) approved a set of amendments that modify and clarify the covered fund provisions of the regulations implementing the Volcker Rule. (The five regulators are the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.) The final amendments are generally the same as those proposed in January of this year.
Continue Reading Volcker Rule Regulators Make Changes to Covered Fund Rules