#GSIB

11 04, 2024

RESOLVE51

2024-04-11T14:22:52-04:00April 11th, 2024|5- Client Report|

FedFin Assessment: FDIC Plan to Resolve GSIBs Fails to Answer Many Key Questions

In its first public statement since 2013 about how it would execute an SPOE resolution (see FSM Report RESOLVE23), the FDIC yesterday released a report Chair Gruenberg described as demonstrating the FDIC’s readiness to resolve a U.S. GSIB and the process it has developed for doing so under the orderly liquidation authority (OLA) provided in the Dodd-Frank Act (see FSM Report SYSTEMIC30).  As detailed in this FedFin report, the FDIC’s goal is to set stakeholder expectations regarding what to expect in an OLA resolution of a U.S. GSIB, but much reiterates current law and prior actions such as GSIB filings related to their resolution plans and the FRB’s TLAC standards (see FSM Report TLAC6).  Although perhaps released by the Chairman at least in part to assert FDIC capabilities at a time of internal stress and Congressional criticism, it remains unclear the extent to which the FDIC is ready and able to execute the protocols it describes.  The paper principally addresses only SPOE resolutions, which it states are best suited to OLA without making clear what it would do if a GSIB chose MPOE (none have so far although this is permitted under the living-will rules), a regional bank found to be systemic used MPOE (as several do), or if resolution involves a nonbank, where MPOE might well be preferable.

RESOLVE51.pdf

10 04, 2024

DAILY041024

2024-04-10T17:24:00-04:00April 10th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

OCC Merger Deadline Extended, De Facto Policy Remains

Responding to industry requests, the OCC today extended the comment deadline on its merger proposal (see FSM Report MERGER14) until June 15 from April 15.

Gruenberg Defends FDIC GSIB-Resolution Readiness

Rejecting criticism from its own inspector-general and others including Karen Petrou, FDIC Chair Gruenberg today stated that the agency is indeed ready to resolve a U.S. GSIB and that any such resolution will exert market discipline on shareholders and BHC counterparties.

Hsu Presses Banks to Expand Account Access for Immigrants

Focusing on increasing banking access for immigrants, Acting Comptroller Hsu today told banks to consider risk-based adjustments to their account screening processes to accept more forms of identification for account openings such as municipal IDs and consular ID cards.

Daily041024.pdf

7 03, 2024

DAILY030724

2024-03-07T16:51:03-05:00March 7th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

HFSC GOP Press Discount-Window Reform, Slow-Go on Liquidity Risk

Building on questioning at a recent HFSC hearing (see Client Report LIQUIDITY34), Financial Institutions Subcommittee Chair Barr (R-KY) led all Republican members of his subcommittee in a letter to Chair Powell, Chair Gruenberg, and Acting Comptroller Hsu urging them to address stigma and operational issues associated with the discount window.

Powell Reiterates: Capital Rules Will Change

Today’s Senate Banking hearing with Chair Powell covered much of the same ground as the Chair’s appearance before HFSC (see Client Report FEDERALRESERVE75) with Democrats focusing on housing affordability and Republicans expressing their satisfaction with Mr. Powell’s statement that the Basel III proposal may have to be withdrawn and re-proposed.

House Judiciary Now Says 12 Large Banks Colluded with FinCEN

Prior to the House Judiciary’s Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government hearing today on large bank “collusion,” the subcommittee yesterday published a report finding that FinCEN and the FBI engaged in backchannel discussions with large financial institutions to gather private financial data.

BCBS Proposes GSIB Window-Dressing Revisions

As anticipated, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision today released a consultation on revisions to the GSIB assessment framework concerning window dressing.

House Republican Targets Interest on Reserves

Following up on yesterday’s HFSC hearing (see Client Report FEDERALRESERVE75), Rep. Davidson (R-OH) has introduced legislation (H.R. 7562) to prevent Federal Reserve Banks from paying interest on excess reserves.

Daily030724.pdf

4 03, 2024

DAILY030424

2024-03-04T16:58:40-05:00March 4th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

BIS Targets Prime-Broker Risk

The BIS quarterly review contains an assessment of the risk prime brokers may pose both to GSIBs and financial stability.  This sector has long been a concern of central bankers and risk managers, but the BIS analysis is the first in recent years to quantify it and decompose key risk drivers (e.g., wrong-way risk) to conclude that the inter-connections between hedge funds and prime brokers are a source of systemic instability and potential hazard to banks as evidenced all too clearly last year at Credit Suisse.  These risks are of course also a key part of the Fed’s new exploratory stress-test related to hedge funds (see Client Report STRESS32).

Daily030424.pdf

29 02, 2024

DAILY022924

2024-02-29T16:41:41-05:00February 29th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

FSB Says Swiss Standards, Not Its Own, Led to CS Chaos

The FSB today released the review of Swiss GSIB regulation announced after Credit Suisse’s failure.

Basel Tackles Private Credit, GSIB Window-Dressing

The Basel Committee today again pressed nations – clearly here focusing on the U.S. – to finalize the end-game rules as quickly as possible.

FinCEN Releases New AML/CFT Hit List

FinCEN today emphasized that the new FATF report has revised countries where strategic AML and CFT measures are deficient, warning U.S. banks to take this into account – i.e., to ensure appropriate de-risking.

CFPB Targets Bank Comparison-Shopping Posts

The CFPB today loosed another attack on bank marketing practices, arguing that key facts are omitted  from credit-card and financial-product descriptions obscuring back-end fees.

Bipartisan HFSC Votes to Repeal SAB 121

At today’s abbreviated markup, HFSC took up H.J. Res. 109, which would repeal the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 requiring banks to keep custody cryptoassets on balance sheet (see FSM Report CUSTODY5).

HFSC Approves Secret Service Cybercrime Bill

As HFSC’s markup continued today, the committee turned to Rep. Fitzgerald’s (R-WI) bipartisan H.R. 7156 expanding Secret Service investigative authorities over cybercrime.

FSB Head Ratchets Up Stablecoin Systemic Worries

In remarks today, FSB Chair Klaas Knot discussed market developments in cryptoassets, suggesting that renewed market interest in stablecoins by bigtechs and financial institutions could have systemic implications.

Daily022924.pdf

26 02, 2024

M022624

2024-02-26T11:06:35-05:00February 26th, 2024|6- Client Memo|

The Unintended Consequences of Blocking the Credit-Card Merger

There is no doubt that the banking agencies have approved all too many dubious merger applications along with charter conversions of convenience.  However, the debate roiling over the Capital One/Discover merger harkens to an earlier age of thousands more prosperous small banks all operating strictly within a perimeter guarded by top-notch consumer, community, and prudential regulators.  Whether this ever existed is at best uncertain.  What is for sure is that all this nostalgia for a halcyon past will hasten a future dominated by GSIBs and systemic-scale nonbanks still operating outside flimsy regulatory guardrails.

M022624.pdf

26 02, 2024

Karen Petrou: The Unintended Consequences of Blocking the Credit-Card Merger

2024-04-12T09:46:02-04:00February 26th, 2024|The Vault|

There is no doubt that the banking agencies have approved all too many dubious merger applications along with charter conversions of convenience.  However, the debate roiling over the Capital One/Discover merger harkens to an earlier age of thousands more prosperous small banks all operating strictly within a perimeter guarded by top-notch consumer, community, and prudential regulators.  Whether this ever existed is at best uncertain.  What is for sure is that all this nostalgia for a halcyon past will hasten a future dominated by GSIBs and systemic-scale nonbanks still operating outside flimsy regulatory guardrails.

The best way to demonstrate this awkward certainty is to run a counter-factual – that is, think about what the world would look like if opponents of the Capital One/Discover deal get their way.  Would we quickly see a return to card competition housed firmly within a tightly-regulated system?  Would the payment system be loosed from Visa and Mastercard’s grip?  Would merchants see the dawn of a new era of itsy-bitsy interchange fees?  Would card rates plummet and rewards stay splendiferous?  I very much doubt it.  Space here does not permit a detailed assessment of the analytics underlying my conclusions, so let’s go straight to each of them.  

First, banning the CapOne/Discover deal would not ensure robust card competition under strict bank regulation.  JPMorgan’s and American Express’ formidable stakes could grow because credit-card lending is a business dependent on economies of scale and scope vital to capital-efficiency through the secondary market.  However, large banks will

18 12, 2023

DAILY121823

2023-12-18T17:12:20-05:00December 18th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

House Dems Press Tax-Equity Bond Capital Fix

Emphasizing their strong support for the capital proposals, 107 Democratic lawmakers led by Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL) have sent a letter to Chair Powell, Chair Gruenberg, and Acting Comptroller Hsu again asking for revised treatment for clean energy tax-equity bonds.

Updated GSIB Indicator Amounts Now Effective

The Fed today published updated Aggregate Global Indicator Amounts pursuant to its GSIB surcharge rule (see Client Report GSIB5).

FSB Finds U.S. NBFI Assets Continue to Dwarf Banks

The FSB today released its 2023 Global NBFI monitoring report, finding that NBFIs continue to hold a larger percentage of financial assets than banks in the U.S.

DOJ/FTC Stand Firm on New Anti-Concentration Merger Policy

Justice and the FTC today released the final version of new merger guidelines, softening but not clearly weakening the agencies’ draft (see FSM Report MERGER12).

Warren, Allies Attack Hsu’s Preemption Policy

Making it clear that Acting Comptroller Hsu will have challenges from Democrats should the White House ever nominate him as Comptroller, seven Democrats led by Sen. Warren (D-MA) sent him a letter today accusing the agency of overstepping and abusing its preemption authority.

McHenry Asks CFPB to Change Open-Banking Secondary Data Approach

HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) today sent a comment letter to CFPB Director Chopra reiterating the support expressed at a recent hearing (see Client Report CONSUMER53), for the agency’s open banking proposal (see FSM Report DATA4), but now asking for changes related to …

18 12, 2023

FSOC29

2023-12-18T11:36:07-05:00December 18th, 2023|5- Client Report|

FedFin Assessment: FSOC Worries A Lot, Watches, Waits

This year’s FSOC report trods much old ground with two exceptions.  The first pertains to a new focus on artificial intelligence, machine learning, and new, generative technologies.  That said, the report does little beyond highlight this risk and include it among all the others federal agencies are told to monitor.  Private credit now also alarms FSOC, with insurance company investment in this sector of particular systemic concern in concert with the sectors’ CRE and junk-bond exposures, offshore reinsurance, and PE ownership.  As detailed in this report, banks are found to be resilient and have ample capital even as the report supports consideration of pending regulatory revisions.  Banking agencies are also asked to monitor uninsured-deposit levels and assess run-risk in light of social media and other accelerants.  In sharp contrast to more alarmist statements in the past and extensive Treasury reports (see Client Report CRYPTO32), this year’s report downplays cryptoasset risk because federal regulators are said to have taken steps to contain it.  The report also reiterates FSOC’s continuing focus on cyber and climate risk, with the closed session preceding the meeting considering a framework being developed by the OCC to measure and monitor financial risks and bank exposures.  Agencies are also encouraged to pursue comparable, “decision-useful” climate disclosures.  The LIBOR transition is considered a success and no longer poses a systemic risk.

FSOC29.pdf

15 12, 2023

DAILY121523

2023-12-15T17:31:25-05:00December 15th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Crypto Measures Await Next Session

As anticipated, HFSC Chair McHenry (R-NC) was able to fend off concerted efforts by Sens. Brown (D-OH) and Warren (D-MA) to add the Warren-Marshall crypto bill to the National Defense Authorization Act.

FSOC to Target Hedge Funds, Nonbank Mortgage Companies

The readout from Treasury on yesterday’s FSOC meeting provides insight into the Council’s executive session suggesting significant near-term systemic action regarding hedge funds.

FSB Plans Broad Rewrite of Public Backstops, GSIFI Resolvability, Operational Readiness

The FSB’s 2023 Resolution Report today advises banks and public sector authorities to be prepared to access public sector funding in resolution, with the Board planning to review whether existing public sector backstops are adequate to meet potential failure scenarios.

Brown Renews Bipartisan Quest to Constrain Nonbank Banks

Advancing the big-tech concerns he most recently voiced before GSIB CEOs (see Client Report GSIB23), Senate Banking Chairman Brown (D-OH) has introduced S. 3538, bipartisan legislation to impose bank regulation on non-bank parent companies of insured depository institutions.

DOJ Targets Fraudulent Microtransactions

Cracking down on unauthorized bank account charges, the DOJ today announced multiple actions against “sham” companies alleged to have used misrepresentations or unauthorized charges to steal money from consumers’ financial accounts.

CRS Warns Credit Card Act Could Result In Risky Retailer Payment Networks

The CRS this week issued a report analyzing the Durbin-Marshall Credit Card Competition Act, S.1838 (see FSM Report INTERCHANGE10), projecting that fee caps will have a greater impact on transaction fees than competition, with …

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