#OEF – Federal Financial Analytics

28 02, 2024

DAILY022824

Eliza Allen2024-02-29T11:26:05-05:00February 28th, 2024|2- Daily Briefing|

HFSC Dems Press for New Bank-Merger Policy

Although she issued a statement strongly opposed to the CapOne/Discover merger after it was announced, HFSC Ranking Member Waters (D-CA) today led a letter instead focusing on the need for the banking agencies and DOJ to quickly issue updated merger policies.

US Standards Complicate Transborder Personal-Financial Data Flows

The President plans later today to issue an executive order banning the transfer of sensitive data to “countries of concern” and certain persons subject to their jurisdiction.

Fed Worries About Regional-Bank Risk

Anna Kovner, Director of Financial Stability Policy Research at the New York Fed, today outlined four sources of systemic risk that worry the central bank even though the Fed still sees risks as manageable according to the analyses released last October (see Client Report SYSTEMIC97).

Daily022824.pdf…

20 12, 2023

DAILY122023

Eliza Allen2023-12-20T16:49:55-05:00December 20th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

CFPB Small-Business Reporting Reg Remains

In conjunction with his expected veto last night of legislation that would have overturned the CFPB’s small-business reporting rule, President Biden indicated that the Bureau’s rule is central to CRA implementation and would bring transparency to small-business lending.

FSB, IOSCO Try Get-Tough Approach to OEF Illiquidity

As promised, the FSB and IOSCO today finalized recommendations designed to enhance OEF resilience.

HFSC GOP Demands CFPB Nonbank Delay, Clarification

HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) and nineteen Committee Republicans sent a letter to CFPB Director Chopra urging the Bureau to extend by thirty days the comment deadline for its proposal to supervise large nonbank payment providers (see FSM Report PAYMENT27).

FERC Passive-Ownership Inquiry Poses Challenges to Funds, Banks

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has opened another avenue scrutinizing the extent to which large asset managers may control the companies in which they invest.

FDIC Approves Significantly Revised Sign, Advertising Standards

The FDIC Board today unanimously approved a final rule modernizing requirements for use of the FDIC’s official sign and clarifying what constitutes misrepresentation and misuse of the FDIC’s name or logo.

Daily122023.pdf…

28 11, 2023

DAILY112823

Eliza Allen2023-11-28T16:35:09-05:00November 28th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

FRB-Dallas: Reciprocal Deposits Require Policy Attention

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas today released a staff study revaluating reciprocal deposits in the wake of SVB’s failure, concluding that policy-makers should reconsider concentration limits imposed in 2018 in conjunction with brokered-deposit constraints (see FSM Report DEPOSITINSURANCE108).

FRB-NY: OEFs Create Run-Run Risk

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released a staff study concluding that open-end funds (OEFs) experienced acute outflows after SVB failed, bank deposits received de facto unlimited insurance, and the FRB established the TBFP.

Chopra Testimony Ducks Tough Questions Ahead of Hearings

CFPB Director Chopra’s testimony for forthcoming hearings with HFSC and Senate Banking this week largely recaps Bureau action since his last appearance before Congress in June, with Mr. Chopra focusing on consumer debt issues highlighted in the CFPB’s recent consumer credit card market report.

FSB Wants Action on Crypto Vertical Integration

The FSB today released a report concluding that, while multifunction crypto-asset intermediaries (MCIs) currently pose limited financial-stability threat, cryptoasset stress events such as those that occurred over the past year present spillover risks to banks with concentrated deposit exposures to firms reliant on cryptoassets.

Basel Presses Supervisors to Enforce GSIB Data-Aggregation Standards

The Basel Committee today released a report finding that only two of the 31 GSIBs are fully compliant with its Principles for effective risk data aggregation and risk reporting (see FSM Report RISKMANAGEMENT7).

Daily112823.pdf…

18 07, 2023

FedFin on: MMF Redemption Fees, Liquidity-Risk Mitigation

Arezou Rafikian2023-07-19T16:52:22-04:00July 18th, 2023|The Vault|

The SEC has significantly revised its proposed MMF-reform standards, eliminating a controversial swing-pricing approach to reduce first-mover advantage in favor of new redemption fees at institutional prime and tax-exempt funds. These and most other funds now also come under stiff new liquidity requirements, which may combine to impose new and costly disciplines that may enhance the relevant appeal of bank deposits without early-redemption risk. Changes in MMF liquidity requirements may also alter demand for commercial paper, municipal obligations, bank debt, and ….

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

18 07, 2023

MMF20

Eliza Allen2023-07-18T11:50:28-04:00July 18th, 2023|1- Financial Services Management|

MMF Redemption Fees, Liquidity-Risk Mitigation

The SEC has significantly revised its proposed MMF-reform standards, eliminating a controversial swing-pricing approach to reduce first-mover advantage in favor of new redemption fees at institutional prime and tax-exempt funds. These and most other funds now also come under stiff new liquidity requirements, which may combine to impose new and costly disciplines that may enhance the relevant appeal of bank deposits without early-redemption risk. Changes in MMF liquidity requirements may also alter demand for commercial paper, municipal obligations, bank debt, and other assets widely held by these funds, perhaps increasing funding cost in certain short-term funding markets as demand from MMF drops. MMF use of the Fed’s overnight reverse-repo facility could also grow to facilitate liquidity compliance, creating new risks for the Federal Reserve and its longstanding goal of reducing its role as a dominant market maker.

MMF20.pdf…

5 07, 2023

DAILY070523

Eliza Allen2023-07-05T16:15:35-04:00July 5th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Basel Targets Credit-Risk Models, Assumptions

The Basel Committee yesterday issued a newsletter highlighting recent internal credit-risk discussions as well as supervisory action and remaining concerns in this area. Although few specifics are provided, national supervisors’ main priorities include governance controls around model risk management, capturing economic uncertainty, and identifying credit deterioration in vulnerable sectors and borrowers. The newsletter also notes that supervisors have issued guidance on IRB models and taken remedial action for some banks with under-calibrated probability-of-default models—issues not yet addressed in the U.S. that may come in concert with the pending end-game capital rules.

FSB/IOSCO Focus on OEF Redemption Risk

Departing from the SEC’s swing-pricing approach to open-end fund risk, global regulators today proposed a new exit-fee construct. If the U.S. chooses to advance this – as it well may given the SEC’s role on these bodies – it will almost surely require a new SEC proposal, significantly delaying U.S. action in this controversial area. The FSB’s consultation proposes three OEF “buckets” intended to reduce liquidity mismatch risk by mandating new “anti-dilutive” liquidity-risk mitigation tools that not only create new daily-redemption obstacles as OEF assets become increasingly illiquid, but also impose new fees stipulated in the accompanying the IOSCO consultation.

Daily070523.pdf…

15 05, 2023

DAILY051523

Eliza Allen2023-05-15T17:23:44-04:00May 15th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Yellen Highlights Investor – Not Uninsured-Deposit – Runs, Buoys Sector Mergers

In an interview over the weekend, Treasury Secretary Yellen struck a decidedly different tone on bank mergers than voiced in the Administration’s policy prior to recent failures.

Gensler Outlines Top Financial Stability Concerns

In remarks today, SEC Chair Gensler outlined his financial-stability priorities.

Failed-Bank CEOs Defend Themselves, Contest Need For Receivership

Ahead of testimony tomorrow before Senate Banking, the CEOs of SVB and Signature have filed statements defending their actions and those of their colleagues.

FHFA Seeks Views On New Pricing Framework

Following last week’s announcement that it would postpone its controversial decision to retain an upfront fee related to a borrower’s debt-to-income level, the FHFA today released a Request for Input on the Enterprises’ single-family pricing framework as well as the process for setting their upfront guarantee fees.

Barr Stands His Supervisory, Regulatory Ground

Vice Chairman Barr’s testimony for Congressional hearings this week has just been released along with the Board’s 2023 supervision-and-regulation report.

Gruenberg Sticks To His Guns

FDIC Chairman Gruenberg’s Congressional testimony largely recounts prior statements about the condition of the banking system, recent bank failures, the new special-assessment proposal (see FSM Report DEPOSITINSURANCE120), and the agency’s deposit-insurance reform conclusion (see Client Report DEPOSITINSURANCE119).

Daily051523.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 …

17 04, 2023

DAILY041723

Eliza Allen2023-04-17T16:50:24-04:00April 17th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

HFSC Prepares for Gensler Grilling

As expected, the staff memo ahead of HFSC’s hearing tomorrow with SEC Chairman Gensler reiterates much that has previously played out in highly-critical correspondence and subpoena threats.

Senate GOP Again Slam CFPB

Ranking Member Scott (R-SC) along with eight other Senate Banking Republicans sent a letter to CFPB Director Chopra last Thursday again taking serious issue with the CFPB’s “junk fee” initiative (see FSM Report CONSUMER38), calling many targeted fees “legal” and “reasonable.”

FRB-Philadelphia Study: U.S. Banking Not Concentrated

A new paper from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia finds that data suggesting undue banking-sector concentration may be misleading.

Fed Study: EU Banks Dress Up As Supervisors Approach

In a most timely study, the FRB has released a staff paper assessing how bank supervision alters short- and medium-term bank risk-taking.

Daily041723.pdf…

3 04, 2023

REFORM219

Eliza Allen2023-04-03T11:07:12-04:00April 3rd, 2023|5- Client Report|

FedFin Forecast: Probable Changes to Bank Supervision, Regulation, Law

With Thursday’s White House announcement, we know that the Administration will do its best to support Fed and FDIC efforts to color recent events as a failure of Republican-led rulemaking, not also one of agency supervisory acumen, speed, and even competence. So far, key Democrats are instead pursuing a two-track strategy: complaining mightily about Trump-era rules but also joining with Republicans to cite an array of supervisory lapses they want quickly remediated by new standards, new rules, and – if need be – also by new law. Indeed, on Friday, Democrats made it clear that they want considerably more from the Administration than the fixes on which the agencies prefer to focus. Given how much is in motion and how much could advance, this report details FedFin’s forecast for near-term action in each of these arenas, focusing on matters with broad industry impact rather than specific SVB/Signature- enforcement issues. We thus provide forecast for immediate supervisory actions, those Congress will demand, new rules (tailoring and beyond), and the few legislative initiatives we believe have a reasonable chance of passage and Presidential approval.

REFORM219.pdf…