#bigtech – Federal Financial Analytics

8 02, 2023

DAILY020823

Eliza Allen2023-02-08T17:36:06-05:00February 8th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Biden Puts His Stamp On CFPB Credit-Card Fee Controls

Scuttling industry expectations that the CFPB’s credit-card fee clampdown will never be implemented, President Biden last night zeroed in on his administration’s campaign to eliminate “junk” fees, including “exorbitant” overdraft fees and credit card late fees.

Senate GOP Launches Anti-Woke Attack

Accelerating the GOP’s anti-woke endeavor, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-SD) and 36 GOP senators have introduced S. 293 to impose strict sanctions on banks that provide or deny financial services for what the senators consider political reasons.

Treasury: Happy In The Cloud If It Doesn’t Rain

In its long-awaited report today on the systemic implications of cloud computing, Treasury today encouraged more rapid adoption even as it pointed to systemic-risk considerations.

HFSC Subcomm: Privacy Compromise May Not Prove Impossible

Today’s kick-off hearing by HFSC’s Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Monetary Policy suggested that Chairman Barr (R-KY) will move deliberately on his priorities even as full Committee Chairman McHenry (R-NC) pursues higher-profile items such as anti-China policy.

BIS Renews Campaign For Bigtech Systemic Standards

Reiterating longstanding BIS concerns about bigtech platforms, General Manager Agustín Carstens today updated the changes he believes are urgently needed to address growing systemic risk in this sector.

Daily020823.pdf…

16 12, 2022

DAILY121622

Eliza Allen2022-12-16T17:19:37-05:00December 16th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

GHOS Presses Speedy Bank-Crypto Capital Standards

Basel’s governing body, the Governors and Heads of Supervision, today endorsed the Committee’s planned work schedule.

Fed Finally Finalizes LIBOR Transition Regs

Narrowly ahead of its year-end statutory deadline, the Federal Reserve today issued a final version of its detailed proposal (see FSM Report LIBOR8) to implement the LIBOR Act’s provisions on replacement rates for existing contracts without fallback language (see FSM Report LIBOR7).

Regulators Highlight P2P, Crypto, NBFI Risks at FSOC Meeting

Although most of the FSOC’s discussion today of the LIBOR transition and climate risks was perfunctory, comments on the now-released 2022 Treasury annual report were not.

McHenry, Davidson Point to Forex-Clearing Systemic Risk

Picking up a recent BIS report finding at least $65 trillion at risk in off-balance sheet foreign-exchange clearing, incoming HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) and the top Republican on the panel’s fintech task force, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH), called on Fed Chairman Powell and Secretary Yellen to investigate what they consider a looming risk to U.S. financial stability.

Chopra Presses Cloud-Service Provider, Stablecoin Systemic Designation

CFPB Chairman Chopra’s written statement for the FSOC meeting is considerably different than the oral one described in our earlier client alert.

Daily121622.pdf…

14 12, 2022

CONSUMER45

Max Camateros-Mann2022-12-15T17:14:06-05:00December 14th, 2022|5- Client Report|

HFSC GOP Sets Table for Rocky CFPB Relationship

Despite early warm goodbyes to outgoing Chairwoman Waters (D-CA), GOP members wasted no time trading blows at a fiery HFSC session today with CFPB Director Chopra. As anticipated, incoming Chair McHenry (R-NC) and committee Republicans focused their efforts on what they call “regulation by guidance,” accusing the Director of trying to influence the behavior of firms through nonbinding releases and avoiding the public rulemaking process. In his testimony and answers to members, Director Chopra said that the Bureau is watching voluntary industry action on Zelle fraud before taking action and is more broadly focused on payment-system standards that ensure neutrality and strict data-privacy. Republican members also highlighted how the Bureau’s proposed small-business reports (see FSM Report SMBUS27) put undue regulatory burden on small banks. Additionally, Rep. Loudermilk (R-GA) inquired about the appropriateness of making banks liable for P2P fraud. Democrats refrained from questioning the Bureau’s actions, instead asking about its bigtech inquiry, the resurgence of ARMs, and blackbox algorithms. Reps. Cleaver (D-OH) and Vargas (D-CA) also continued their attacks on crypto from yesterday’s hearing, calling it dangerous and useless.

CONSUMER45.pdf…

21 11, 2022

FedFin on: Treasury Plumbs the Depth of Nonbank Finance, Seeks New Merger Policy, Rules

Arezou Rafikian2022-11-22T13:19:47-05:00November 21st, 2022|The Vault|

As promised, this report provides an in-depth analysis of Treasury’s report and resulting recommendations to the President’s Competition Council on the impact of new nonbank consumer-finance entrants from a competition, consumer-protection, and financial-stability perspective. Although the report calls for reconsideration of bank-merger policy with an eye to the growing role of fintechs and bigtechs, its overall view of market power fails in our view to capture the actual landscape in which…

The full report is available to retainer clients. To find out how you can sign up for the service, click here and here.…

21 11, 2022

FINTECH31

Eliza Allen2022-11-21T12:00:14-05:00November 21st, 2022|5- Client Report|

Treasury Plumbs the Depth of Nonbank Finance, Seeks New Merger Policy, Rules

As promised, this report provides an in-depth analysis of Treasury’s report and resulting recommendations to the President’s Competition Council on the impact of new nonbank consumer-finance entrants from a competition, consumer-protection, and financial-stability perspective. Although the report calls for reconsideration of bank-merger policy with an eye to the growing role of fintechs and bigtechs, its overall view of market power fails in our view to capture the actual landscape in which these important new entrants compete with banks. For example, its focus on deposit-market concentration compares banks principally to neobanks, failing to consider deposit-like products such as prime MMFs and in many cases also credit-union deposits. As a result, erroneous conclusions are drawn about market power that exists when all competitors – not just bigtechs or fintechs – are considered.

FINTECH31.pdf…

7 11, 2022

DAILY110722

Eliza Allen2022-11-07T17:22:53-05:00November 7th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

Toomey Calls for More Fed Transparency

Sen. Toomey (R-PA) continued Republican demands for still more Fed transparency, sharply criticizing the Fed’s Friday proposal to provide some transparency into which institutions are granted master accounts.

Sweeping CFPB Fee Restrictions Now Effective

The Federal Register today includes the CFPB’s circular on Unanticipated Overdraft Fee Assessment Practices and a bulletin now effective on Unfair Returned Deposited Item Fee Assessment Practices.

CFPB Advances Bigtech Market Power Campaign

Continuing its campaign against bigtech’s market power, the Federal Register today includes the CFPB’s notice and request for comment on what fees bigtech payment operators levy on users for violations of acceptable use policies and whether their policies include provisions to restrict user platform access.

Fed Staff Paper Tries To Gauge Social Welfare Impact Of Liquidity, Capital Regs

A new Fed staff study attempts to lay out the social costs and benefits of large-bank liquidity and capital regulation.

Warren Continues Campaign Against Wells Fargo, Zelle

Sen. Warren (D-MA) today continued her campaign against Zelle by sending letters to its parent company and Wells Fargo, taking particular aim at what she deems the latter’s failure to provide adequate claims and reimbursement data and labelling responses to previous letters “insulting.”

Warren Denounces Fed “Culture of Corruption”

Sen. Warren (D-MA) today also continued her campaign against Chairman Powell, sending him a letter alleging “another set of egregious and embarrassing ethics breaches.”

Daily110722.pdf…

31 10, 2022

DAILY103122

Eliza Allen2022-10-31T16:47:14-04:00October 31st, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

CFPB Tackles Payment-System User Fines

Following Director Chopra’s recent focus on Paypal’s withdrawn content penalty, the CFPB today announced it will reopen the public comment period on its bigtech payments order, widening its focus beyond Paypal to all bigtech payment-service providers. Notably, Zelle is not included in this round. The order had required Facebook, Google, Apple, Amazon, Square, and Paypal to turn over information on their payments products, business plans, and practices. The Bureau now seeks further information on their acceptable use policies and how and under what circumstances they levy fines.

Daily103122.pdf…

25 10, 2022

DAILY102522

Eliza Allen2022-10-25T17:08:46-04:00October 25th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

Setting Stage for US Action, UK Regulators Target Bigtech Consumer-Finance Market Power

Focusing principally on competition, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) today released a discussion paper investigating bigtech’s entry into payments, deposit, consumer-credit, and insurance.

With Yellen Backing, SEC Central-Clearing NPR Advances

The Federal Register today includes the SEC’s proposal requiring that market clearinghouses submit certain secondary-market transactions for clearing along with the small percentage now already centrally-cleared.

FDIC Reports Significant Financial Inclusion Progress

Showing significant improvements in financial inclusion, the FDIC today released its biennial under- and unbanked household survey.

CFPB to Require Almost-Open Banking

At long last and as recently promised, the CFPB later this week will start a rulemaking process that would ultimately require financial institutions to share personal data with a consumer upon his or her request.

Democrats Get Ready To Blame The Fed

Continuing progressive critiques of the FOMC’s anti-inflation fight, Senate Banking Chairman Brown (D-OH) has written to FRB Chairman Powell sharply protesting current Fed policy.

Daily102522.pdf…

9 09, 2022

DAILY090922

Eliza Allen2022-10-24T12:01:09-04:00September 9th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

White House Reaffirms Anti-Algo Stand

The White House late yesterday announced core bigtech policy principles. These are extremely general and do not go as far in areas such as antitrust that progressives sought.

U.S. Announces Start of Work on Basel “End Game”

Ahead of what might otherwise have been a fractious Basel Committee meeting, the Fed, OCC, and FDIC today reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to finalize what FRB Vice Chair Barr Wednesday called the Basel III “end-game.”

Basel Chair Announces Preliminary AI Priorities

Pablo Hernández de Cos, Chair of the Basel Committee, announced today the work that regulators plan on AI and algorithmic decision-making.

OFR Details Climate Data-Sharing Efforts

Acting OFR Director James Martin today addressed the need for integrated climate-related financial data and challenges to forecasting and modeling climate risk.

Liang Stresses Climate-Resiliency

Treasury Under Secretary Liang today reiterated an array of agency and Administration climate-risk priorities, emphasizing ongoing Treasury and FSOC climate resiliency efforts and underscoring Treasury’s commitment to a net-zero economy.

Treasury To Issue Price-Cap Sanction Guidance

Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo today made it clear that enforcement of the anti-Russia oil-price caps will depend not only on restricting shipping insurance, but also doing so for financial and payment services.

Daily090922.pdf…

6 09, 2022

DAILY090622

Eliza Allen2022-12-20T16:15:03-05:00September 6th, 2022|2- Daily Briefing|

BIS Staff: Banks Have Power Over Bigtech, But We’re Not So Sure

A new paper from BIS staff argues that bigtech firms have so much power over small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) using their networks that they must “self-limit” this to continue to grow, leading them to share data with banks that fund loans via cheap deposits. We find the paper puzzling given its description of the captive ecosystem in which bigtechs can readily exploit data unavailable to banks to set credit terms and also enforce loan agreements by virtue of their power to exclude an SME from a vital source of customers.

CFPB’s Sweeping Data-Protection Standards Now Effective

Today’s Federal Register includes the CFPB’s circular on insufficient data protections and security; the circular is now effective. As noted (see FSM Report INFOSEC28), the circular states that inadequate consumer-data safeguards may constitute a breach of unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices (UDAAP) protection standards subject to Bureau enforcement. It notably expands the Bureau’s legal interpretations of UDAAP, its authority over nonbanks, and its broad reading of “service providers.”

OCC Prioritizes Community Banks

The OCC today released its five-year strategic plan. It focuses on staffing, service, and administrative issues, but also briefly notes policy priorities. These include advancing financial inclusion and literacy, deepening collaboration with other regulators, reinforcing and minimizing the regulatory burden on community banks, and developing guidance to facilitate community banks’ transition to digital banking.

Daily090622.pdf…