#Luetkemeyer

5 03, 2024

Daily030524

2024-03-05T16:37:23-05:00March 5th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

CFPB Fires All Cylinders on Credit Card Fees

In conjunction with a new White House “price-gouging” initiative today ahead of the President’s address, the CFPB finalized its controversial credit-card late-fee proposal (see FSM Report CREDITCARD36).

Presidential Strike Force Targets Financial-Services Fees, Mergers

In conjunction with the CFPB’s new credit-card fee standard, the White House today announced a “strike force” attacking what it believes to be price-gouging across the U.S. economy.

Interchange, Small-Dollar Lending Bills Added to House Docket

Although Thursday’s HFSC Financial Institutions’ hearing will be a largely partisan review of the “politicized” nature of bank regulation, bills on the docket include a draft measure from Rep. Luetkemeyer (R-MO) requiring the FRB to conduct a quantitative study of the implications of its pending interchange rule before finalization (see FSM Report INTERCHANGE12).

McHenry Supports At Least Some Liquidity-Reg Rewrite

Redoubling his campaign against the capital proposal, HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) today made it clear that he does support at least some revisions to liquidity rules.

IMF Looks Under U.S. Bank “Weak Tail”

Looking at U.S. bank failures one year later, the IMF today released a global financial stability note finding that the “weak tail” of U.S. banks continues to present a possible systemic risk despite ongoing supervisory and regulatory efforts.

Daily030524.pdf

30 01, 2024

DAILY013024

2024-01-30T17:13:26-05:00January 30th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

FinCEN Estimates High Bank-BOI Reporting Costs

FinCEN via the Federal Register today requested comment on the estimated total annual reporting and recordkeeping burden for new Access Rule beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting requirements (see FSM Report AML135).

Brown Puts More Pressure on Powell

Following Sen. Warren’s rate-cut demands and affordable housing concerns yesterday, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Brown (D-OH) today sent a letter to FRB Chair Powell also calling for less restrictive monetary policy on grounds that elevated rates negatively impact home affordability, limit the housing supply, restrict small business growth, and dampen wages.

HFSC Targets China Sanctions, Outbound Investments

Today’s HFSC National Security Subcommittee Hearing focused on China sanctions and restrictions on outbound investments.

GOP Demands Retraction of CFPB Tech-Payment Proposal

Reiterating their opposition to the Bureau’s pending digital-payment rule (see FSM Report PAYMENT27), HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) alongside Digital Assets Subcommittee Chairman Hill (R-AR) and Rep. Flood (R-NE) sent a letter today urging the CFPB to reopen and extend the comment period and reconsider finalizing the rule as proposed.

Daily013024.pdf

12 01, 2024

DAILY011224

2024-01-12T15:31:11-05:00January 12th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

Emmer, HFSC GOP Reintroduce FSOC Oversight Measure

Following a hearing earlier this week at which GOP Members reiterated longstanding FSOC criticism, House Majority Whip Emmer (R-MN) has reintroduced legislation along with ten other HFSC Republicans to bring FSOC under congressional appropriations.

HFSC Bipartisan AI Task Force Already Divided on Key Priorities

Reflecting growing concern about AI’s risks (see Client Report FSOC29), HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) and Ranking Member Waters (D-CA) yesterday announced the creation of a bipartisan AI Working Group to be led by Digital Assets Subcommittee Chairman Hill (R-AR) and Ranking Member Lynch (D-MA).

House Passes Measures to Check Chinese Economic Power

The House today passed several bills addressing the role of China in IMF and World Bank policy and a renewed attempt to limit what many Members of Congress consider Chinese currency manipulation (H. R. 839).

The Fed Becomes a Big Loser

The Federal Reserve System today released its preliminary FY23 financial results, the first look into the System’s operating condition above and beyond its significant mark-to-market losses.

Daily011224.pdf

12 12, 2023

DAILY121223

2023-12-12T17:09:22-05:00December 12th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

IMF Calls for Enhanced Climate-Risk Analyses, Stress-Testing

Calling for implementation of the Basel Committee’s climate-related financial risk principles (see FSM Report CLIMATE14), the IMF’s Monetary and Capital Markets Department Director, Tobias Adrian, today pressed central banks to enhance their climate risk analyses and adapt stress-testing frameworks to better reflect climate-financial risk transmission and amplification channels.

Agencies Come Under Still More Workplace-Practice Scrutiny, Political Pressure

As we noted last week, House Republicans are now using ongoing assertions of FDIC workplace dysfunction to attack the OCC.

HFSC Subcomm Considers Sanctions Enforcement

Today’s HFSC National Security Subcommittee hearing focused primarily on critiques of US energy sanctions enforcement related to Russia, Iran, and Venezuela.

House Select Committee Calls on Fed to Stress Test China Risk

The House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party today released a bipartisan report urging Congress to direct the Fed to stress-test U.S. banks for their ability to withstand Chinese market risk, produce classified reports on these assessments, and consider the financial market impact of potential sanctions on Chinese financial firms.

Basel Proposes Modest Fix to IRR Standards, Post-SVB Revisions Await

As anticipated, the Basel Committee today released a consultation revising global interest-rate risk (IRR), standards updating current banking-book standards (see FSM Report IRR7) to toughen the IRR-shock calibration.

McKernan Extends Capital Olive Branch

FDIC Director McKernan today offered an end-game compromise that might actually lead to final rules in 2024 that defer some of the …

24 10, 2023

DAILY102423

2023-10-24T17:18:54-04:00October 24th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

McHenry, Barr Blast Basel Adherence in End-Game Regs

Although today’s hearing challenging regulatory actions aligned with global regulators was postponed, HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) and Financial Institutions Subcommittee Chairman Barr (R-KY) today kept up the pressure, releasing a letter to the GAO commissioning a study of the end-game rules.

New CRA Reg Sets Controversial, Complex Standards

Leading the way to certain inter-agency approval, the Federal Reserve today voted 6-1 to approve a final version of their 2022 controversial proposal (see FSM Report CRA32).

FDIC OIG: Supervisors Missed So Much, Acted So Slowly re SBNY

The FDIC’s OIG report today on SBNY’s failure follows much of the line the Fed’s OIG took when it came on the material-loss review of SVB’s collapse.

House Republicans Pressure Biden on $6 Billion Iran Ransom

Although HFSC continues to cancel all its hearings as the speakership battle continues, its Oversight Subcommittee today optimistically released a memo outlining goals for Thursday’s Iran-sanctions hearing.

Treasury Presses CSPs to Negotiate With Banks

Treasury Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions Graham Steele today highlighted Treasury’s work with cloud service providers (CSPs) to improve transparency and security.

Divided FDIC Advances CRA Rewrite, Climate-Risk Principles

As anticipated, the FDIC on a 3-2 vote joined the Fed in approving a 1400+ page final CRA rule.

Daily102423.pdf

27 09, 2023

DAILY092723

2023-09-27T16:36:21-04:00September 27th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

FinCEN Bows to BOI Pressure

Responding to bipartisan concerns, FinCEN today issued an NPR to extend the beneficial ownership information (BOI) report filing deadline from thirty to ninety days for companies created or registered in 2024.

Chopra Considering Refi, Point Rules

The CFPB today released its annual report on residential mortgage lending, finding that mortgage applications, originations, and affordability declined significantly in 2022 while costs, loan denials, HELOC originations, and the percentage of cash-out refinances all increased.

HFSC GOP Presses Gensler on Banking-Reg Cumulative Impact

During Chairman Gensler’s as-always contentious HFSC hearing today, Rep. Barr (R-KY) asked if the SEC is in consultation with the Federal Reserve regarding the combined CRE effects of recent SEC proposals and the Basel III endgame standards (see Client Report CAPITAL234).

Carstens Says Law Must Catch Up To CBDC

BIS General Manager Agustín Carstens today emphatically called for rapid development of clear CBDC legal frameworks based on defined rights and obligations for privacy, AML compliance, and user choice.

Daily092723.pdf

12 07, 2023

DAILY071223

2023-07-12T17:05:21-04:00July 12th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

SEC Concedes, Drops MMF Swing Pricing

In a startling bow to industry comments, the SEC today finalized MMF rules for institutional prime and tax-exempt funds that dispense with the proposal’s swing pricing (see FSM Report MMF19).

HFSC Bickers Over ESG, SEC Authority, Investor Rights

Today’s ESG hearing was the partisan show-down we anticipated – indeed, Rep. Sherman (D-CA) denounced the GOP for “waging war” against capitalism like Leon Trotsky.

Fed Nominations Advance

As anticipated, Senate Banking today approved the nominations of all three Federal Reserve Board nominees for the full Senate.

Warren Heightens Anti-Merger Campaign

Republicans were absent today from Senate Banking’s Economic Policy bank-merger hearing.  Chair Warren (D-MA) reiterated her strong opposition to virtually all mergers, indicating her plans to reintroduce anti-merger legislation from prior Congresses (see FSM Report MERGER8).

Daily071223.pdf

8 06, 2023

DAILY060823

2023-06-08T16:56:17-04:00June 8th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Bills Advanced re Emergency M&A, FDIC Ceiling

The Congressional Record today includes two Democratic bills with possible prospects despite House GOP control.

CFPB Extends Data Broker RFI Deadline

The CFPB today extended the comment deadline on its RFI inquiring about the business models and practices of data brokers.

Treasury Fairness/Compliance Initiative Targets Government Payments

Treasury today issued a new policy on promoting fair and effective compliance via a memorandum from Deputy Secretary Adeyemo.

Gensler Doubles Down On SEC Crypto Policy

In remarks today implicitly rebutting GOP assertions that the SEC has gone too far and new law expanding CFTC authority is needed, SEC Chairman Gensler strongly reasserted that most cryptoassets are securities subject to SEC oversight.

Bank Regulators, CFPB Encourage Appraisal Revaluation

Reflecting ongoing efforts to address appraisal bias, the banking agencies and the CFPB today proposed new interagency guidance on reconsiderations of value (ROV) for residential real estate, outlining the risks of deficient valuations and highlighting policies addressing them.

Daily060823.pdf

24 05, 2023

DAILY052423

2023-05-24T17:16:58-04:00May 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

12 05, 2023

DAILY051223

2023-05-12T17:05:25-04:00May 12th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Bowman Blasts Barr

In another public sign of a growing FRB divide, Gov. Bowman early this morning followed Gov. Waller in taking strong issue with what would otherwise appear to be Board policy.

Fed Nominees Face Tough Confirmation Fight

In response to President Biden’s nomination of Philip Jefferson for Fed Vice Chair and Dr. Adriana Kugler and Lisa Cook to Fed Governor seats, Democrats have voiced strong support while Republicans are biding their time on nominations sure to prove controversial.

GOP Presses Broader FDIC, FRB Backstops

Picking up on the FDIC’s report (see Client Report DEPOSITINSURANCE119), Republicans have introduced legislation to provide limited coverage for transaction accounts and address other issues raised by recent events.

FRB-NY: SVB, Signature are 1930s Redux

Following on its post yesterday regarding changing bank-funding sources, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York today argues that the concentrated, uninsured deposit bases at SVB and SBNY are directly comparable to those of small rural banks in the 1930s.

Daily051223.pdf

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