#GAO – Page 3 – Federal Financial Analytics

23 06, 2023

DAILY062323

Eliza Allen2023-06-23T16:59:58-04:00June 23rd, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

House Passes Bill Rescinding FHFA Pricing Changes

The House today passed HFSC Member Davidson’s (D-OH) bill overturning the FHFA’s changes to the Enterprise’s pricing framework by a vote of 230-189 mostly along party lines, with fourteen Democrats voting for the bill. The bill stands little chance of advancing in the Senate and the White House today released a statement of policy strongly opposing it. Rep. Boebert (R-CO) submitted an amendment requiring the GAO study mandated by the bill to be made publicly available online, which was agreed upon by a voice vote.

Daily062323.pdf…

24 05, 2023

DAILY052423

Eliza Allen2023-05-24T17:16:58-04:00May 24th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

New Fed Paper Shows Link Between Twitter, Market Sentiment, Run Risk

A new FRB staff paper uses natural-language models and social-media data to craft a “twitter sentiment index” (TSI) that is then compared to actual market conditions.

Democrats Press Clawback, Regulatory Fixes as HFSC Considers Transparency Measures

Today’s HFSC mark-up so far has focused on one of Rep. Barr’s (R-KY) three regulatory transparency bills, with Democrats proposing a series of amendments without any deciding votes.

House Oversight Panel Focuses On Supervisory Accountability, Reform

At today’s hearing of the Financial Services Subcommittee of House Oversight on bank failures and supervision at the San Francisco Fed, Subcommittee Chairwoman McClain (R-MI) opened with a series of sharply-worded questions on who oversaw the bank, what factors might have distracted them from traditional supervision, why glaring risk factors were not more forcefully addressed, whether regulators were unduly complacent, whether the Fed and FDIC used all of their regulatory tools, and if the agencies have been objective and transparent in their bank failure post-mortems as well as their accounts of the systemic risk exception.

Markup Votes Postponed for Transparency, LLPA Bills

Since our last alert, Democrats continued to submit amendments for Rep Barr’s (R-KY) transparency bill at today’s HFSC markup and party lines cemented over Rep. Davidson’s (R-OH) LLPA bill.

Daily052423.pdf…

22 05, 2023

M052223

Eliza Allen2023-05-22T11:47:38-04:00May 22nd, 2023|6- Client Memo|

How to Ensure That Independent Study of Regulatory Mistakes Leads to Near-Term, Meaningful Redress and Reform

Last week, a moderate Senate Democrat was joined by a Republican in yet another letter demanding an independent investigation of regulatory actions related to recent bank failures. But, as the absence of specifics in any of these letters makes clear, it’s a lot easier to call for independent inquiry than to lay out how to conduct one that might make a meaningful difference. Precedent is not encouraging – for example, Congress created a Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission after 2008, but it was an unqualified waste of time and money. Still, we urgently need an independent assessment of what went so wrong combined with another providing near-term, actionable reforms. Having served on one post-crisis national commission that did a bit of good, I recommend separating the forensic inquiry from the one focused on the future, guarding against conflicts without eliminating expertise, and assessing only a few clear questions suitable for practical answers that can be readily accomplished under current law.

M052223.pdf…

22 05, 2023

Karen Petrou: How to Ensure That Independent Study of Regulatory Mistakes Leads to Near-Term, Meaningful Redress and Reform

Eliza Allen2023-05-22T11:47:33-04:00May 22nd, 2023|The Vault|

Last week, a moderate Senate Democrat was joined by a Republican in yet another letter demanding an independent investigation of regulatory actions related to recent bank failures. But, as the absence of specifics in any of these letters makes clear, it’s a lot easier to call for independent inquiry than to lay out how to conduct one that might make a meaningful difference. Precedent is not encouraging – for example, Congress created a Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission after 2008, but it was an unqualified waste of time and money. Still, we urgently need an independent assessment of what went so wrong combined with another providing near-term, actionable reforms. Having served on one post-crisis national commission that did a bit of good, I recommend separating the forensic inquiry from the one focused on the future, guarding against conflicts without eliminating expertise, and assessing only a few clear questions suitable for practical answers that can be readily accomplished under current law.

The first decision point determines all the rest: whether the independent analysis is to be forensic – who dropped which heavy ball on whose toes – or focused on the future – what we learned and what to do about it. Many of the proposals for an independent commission, including the Congressional letter noted above, want their commission to do both, but none could do so well and asking for this is thus asking for trouble.

A good forensic analysis will reduce the moral hazard enjoyed by federal supervisors long exempt …

16 05, 2023

DAILY051623

Eliza Allen2023-05-16T17:44:43-04:00May 16th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Hsu Presses Reg Harmonization, Resolution Reform, Merger-Policy Rewrite

We now add our assessment of Acting Comptroller’s Hsu’s testimony to our analyses of those from Messrs. Barr and Gruenberg ahead of HFSC’s hearing later this morning.

Yellen Says White House Supports Community-Bank Exemptions

Speaking today to the ICBA, Secretary Yellen today joined the parade of policy-makers affirming the national importance of community banks.

JEC GOP Counter FRB on SVB Causality

JEC Republican staff today released a memo finding that tailored liquidity rules did not contribute to SVB’s failure, a contrast to the FRB’s SVB report (see Client Report REFORM221).

LLPAs Set for GOP Frying Pan

The majority-staff memo for tomorrow’s Housing Subcommittee hearing makes it clear that, as anticipated, the sole topic will be FHFA’s controversial LLPAs and related GSE pricing.

Senate Banking: Tough Grilling For Failed-Bank CEOs, Growing Consensus For Clawback Bill/Tough Rules

As predicted, today’s Senate Banking hearing with the CEOs of SVB and SBNY was a feisty session in which Democrats built their case for executive clawback legislation and the failed bank executives defended management while repeatedly placing blame on what they called an “unprecedented series of events.”

Daily051623.pdf…

12 05, 2023

Al051523

Eliza Allen2023-05-12T17:07:36-04:00May 12th, 2023|3- This Week|

Warm-Up Acts Over, Congress Readies for Rowdy Performance

We’ll be busy this week giving you in-depth analyses of all of the key hearings scheduled this week and next on what went wrong on bank failures past, present, and hopefully not future. Last week saw two opening numbers: HFSC’s Financial Institutions Subcommittee heard from bank lawyers, an investment bank CEO, and a professor and its Oversight Subcommittee reviewed GAO’s in-depth take-down (see Client Report REFORM223) of what the Fed and FDIC did at SVB and Signature and, by inference, what they said about it. As our analyses described, Republicans are firmly convinced that the banking agencies dropped very big, obvious balls; Democrats aren’t exactly stout defenders, but they are doing their best to chime in with the agencies by emphasizing how badly bank management behaved and how much of their compensation needs to be recouped as reparations.

Al051523.pdf…

11 05, 2023

Daily051123

Arezou Rafikian2023-05-11T17:10:33-04:00May 11th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Treasury Presses Fed Efforts to Contain Systemic Liquidity Risk

In remarks today, Treasury Under-Secretary Nellie Liang addressed systemic liquidity risks such as the 2020 dash-for-cash and recent bank failures. Treasury is cautiously optimistic about increasing regional-bank stability, but systemic liquidity risk is now structural.

FDIC Proposes Special, Costly Uninsured-Deposit Assessment

The FDIC today voted 3-2 to propose the special assessments presaged in Chairman Gruenberg’s Congressional testimony after SVB and SBNY’s failures (see Client Report REFORM218). Notably, the assessment does not also cover the $13 billion of cost estimated for the FRC rescue in conjunction with JPMorgan’s purchase; its rescue was not technically systemic and its cost will thus be covered as the FDIC reviews DIF ratios in coming meetings at which more broadly-shared, traditional premiums are likely also to increase.

GOP Endorses GAO Recommendations; Dems Point To Bank Management

At today’s HFSC Oversight Subcommittee hearing on the GAO’s report (see Client Report REFORM223), Subcommittee Chair Huizenga (R-MI) built the case that the Fed has historically been unable to properly supervise troubled banks and noted that the committee will investigate this along with the Systemic-Risk Exception used in recent failures.

Waller Disavows Fed Climate-Risk Action

Confirming the Fed’s omission of climate risk in its new financial-stability report (see Client Report SYSTEMIC96), Gov. Waller today said not only is climate risk not now a threat to financial stability, but it also does not pose a safety-and-soundness hazard to large banks.

FRB-NY Data Contradict Story …

1 05, 2023

FedFin Analysis: GAO Slams FRB, FDIC Supervision

Arezou Rafikian2023-05-03T15:37:21-04:00May 1st, 2023|The Vault|

Following our analyses of the Fed’s report on SVB (see Client Report REFORM221) and the FDIC’s on SBNY (see Client Report REFORM222), we turn now to one from the General Accountability Office sure to have at least as much impact on bipartisan consideration of what needs next to be done to govern regional banks. HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) has already cited the GAO report in his rebuttal to those from the banking agencies, and it may well have tempered Senate Banking Chairman Brown’s (D-OH) support of a focus solely on new law and rule.

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

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20 03, 2023

DAILY032023

Eliza Allen2023-03-20T17:07:20-04:00March 20th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

HFSC Sets Plan For Crisis Review

In what may be an effort to buy some time as the banking crisis hopefully eases and tempers cool, HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) and Ranking Member Waters (D-CA) late Friday asked GAO to conduct an immediate review of recent bank failures, insider actions, and related policy actions such as the March 12 systemic rescue and new Fed facility.

Warren Piles On To Powell With New IG Study

Sen. Warren (D-MA) in a letter Saturday applied even more pressure on the banking agencies by urging the Fed’s, FDIC’s, and Treasury’s IGs to conduct independent investigations of the bank as well as “regulatory and supervisory problems” leading to failures, renewing claims that Chair Powell is especially culpable.

McHenry, Scott Take Gloves Off For Fed, FDIC Investigation

HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) and Ranking Senate Banking Member Scott (R-SC) today sent letters to Chair Powell and Chair Gruenberg, making it clear that – for all Mr. McHenry’s more conciliatory statements – Republicans are launching an investigation premised on potential missteps by the Fed and/or FDIC warranting rapid remediation.

House GOP Conservatives Oppose Liberalized FDIC-Coverage Ceiling

Countering demands for an end to FDIC insurance ceilings not only from Sen. Warren (D-MA), but also from their GOP peers, the very conservative House Freedom Caucus today released a statement demanding an end to what it calls “big government bailouts.”

Daily032023.pdf…

16 03, 2023

DAILY031623

Eliza Allen2023-03-16T17:11:59-04:00March 16th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

FedFin Assessment: One CS Consequence – LISCC Reinstatement For All Large Foreign GSIBs

In the wake of CS’s distress, we draw client attention to a 2021 exchange sure to factor heavily in the political response.

Brown Presses For In-Depth SVB, Signature Review

As anticipated (see Client Report RESOLVE49), Senate Banking Chairman Brown (D-OH) today called on all the banking agencies and Treasury quickly to undertake a review of SVB and Signatures failures.

Warren Heaps Still More Blame On Powell

In another letter today, Sen. Warren (D-MA) once again lambasted Chair Powell for what she claimed was his direct contribution to the collapse of Signature Bank and SVB as well as a “a culture of corruption” at the Fed.

Senate GOP Blames Fed, California re SVB

Senate Banking Republicans today tweeted a series of comments citing articles going back to last year identifying SVB risk and suggesting strongly that the Fed and California state supervisors are at fault for missing clear warning signs.

Bipartisan Senators Push Better Beneficial-Ownership Data Access

Senate Budget Committee Chairman Whitehouse (D-RI) was joined by Sens. Wyden (D-OR), Warren (D-MA), Grassley (R-IA), and Rubio (R-FL) late yesterday in submitting a comment letter to FinCEN taking serious issue with its proposed implementation of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) (see FSM Report AML135).

Senate Finance Hearing Deepens SVB Divide

At a heated Senate Finance hearing with Treasury Secretary Yellen, Members were quick to deviate from the hearing’s budget-focused agenda to address who should bear the …