#resolvability

7 09, 2023

LIVINGWILL22

2023-09-07T16:03:26-04:00September 7th, 2023|1- Financial Services Management|

Living-Will Requirements

In conjunction with proposing a new long-term debt (LTD) requirement for categories II, III, and IV banks, the Fed and FDIC are pursuing other ways to enhance resolvability.  Among these is new guidance for large domestic and foreign banking organizations that requires U.S. banking organizations and foreign banking organization (FBO) intermediate holding companies (IHCs) along with all their insured depositories when any is over $100 billion to file resolution plans.  These are also redesigned to make the plans much closer in substance to those mandated for GSIBs.  However, in a leading indicator of what the FRB is also likely to demand of GSIBs, smaller companies would be required to ensure severability – that is, the ability to cut off a weak limb to save the rest of the banking organization or ensure ready resolution without undue cost to the FDIC or systemic risk.  However, easing one aspect of current planning, banking organizations are expressly allowed to count on use of discount-window or other Fed lending facilities to avert failure if – and this is a significant new if – the plan rests atop sound collateral valuation and data-management systems.

LIVINGWILL22.pdf

29 08, 2023

DAILY082923

2023-08-29T16:55:20-04:00August 29th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Agencies Advance Controversial Long-Term Debt, Resolution Proposals

The FDIC, OCC, and FRB today tackled several critical resolution issues in the wake of recent bank failures, proposals that raise strong objections from regional banks despite FDIC and FRB unanimity today on at least one of them.  As anticipated, the FDIC and FRB approved an NPR that would impose minimum long-term debt requirements for banks and BHCs with assets over $100 billion, with the FDIC and Fed boards voting unanimously in favor even as FRB Gov. Bowman strongly dissented despite a three-year transition period.  Similar to the ANPR floating this rule (see FSM Report RESOLVE48), the proposal would require large banks to hold a minimum amount of eligible long-term debt equal to the greater of six percent of risk weighted assets, 3.5% of average total consolidated assets, or 2.5% of total leverage exposure for banks subject to the SLR.

Daily082923.pdf

14 08, 2023

DAILY081423

2023-08-14T16:36:42-04:00August 14th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

FDIC Finds Banks Well-Capitalized, Resilient

Today’s FDIC 2023 Risk Review concludes that banks were well capitalized as of Q1 2023 and have demonstrated resilience through weaker economic conditions, rising interest rates, high inflation, and this year’s financial turmoil even though industry performance moderated from 2022.  Key risks on which the FDIC will focus include liquidity risks as well as the effects of bank failures on overall banking conditions and stability.

FDIC Plans Major Resolution, Insurance Rewrite

As anticipated, FDIC Chair Gruenberg’s speech today confirms that his agency and the Fed will soon propose a TLAC framework for regional banks akin to the long-term debt TLAC standards imposed on GSIBs (see FSM Report RESOLVE48).  Mr. Gruenberg also indicated that the FDIC will soon propose a new version of its 2011 IDI resolution rules (see FSM Report LIVINGWILL8).

Daily081423.pdf

11 08, 2023

Al081423

2023-08-11T16:27:33-04:00August 11th, 2023|3- This Week|

The Capital Construct Continued

Even as we stay on watch for new regional-bank resolution rules, and keep you posted on some high-impact events (see below), we’ve been plowing through hundreds of pages of regulatory-capital rewrites.  Last week, we built on our in-depth analyses of the overall capital framework (see FSM Report CAPITAL230) and the new approach to credit risk (see FSM Report CAPITAL231) with several new in-depth assessments.

Al081423.pdf

27 06, 2023

FedFin on: Failed-Bank Compensation, Resolution

2023-06-27T16:13:11-04:00June 27th, 2023|The Vault|

The Senate Banking Committee has overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation to reform executive compensation following larger insured-depository institution (IDI) failures, with parent-company executive compensation also at risk in some circumstances.  Unlike previous bipartisan claw-back legislation, this measure is targeted to incentive compensation, not salary, expressly exempts “white knights,” institution-affiliated persons and directors, and gives the FDIC discretion also to allow senior officers to retain affected compensation in certain other circumstances…

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

 

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27 06, 2023

COMPENSATION37

2023-06-27T16:00:07-04:00June 27th, 2023|1- Financial Services Management|

Failed-Bank Compensation, Resolution

The Senate Banking Committee has overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation to reform executive compensation following larger insured-depository institution (IDI) failures, with parent-company executive compensation also at risk in some circumstances.  Unlike previous bipartisan claw-back legislation, this measure is targeted to incentive compensation, not salary, expressly exempts “white knights,” institution-affiliated persons and directors, and gives the FDIC discretion also to allow senior officers to retain affected compensation in certain other circumstances.  Also unlike the prior bill, this measure would make it more difficult for the FDIC to resolve a failing IDI as it did for First Republic via an assisted acquisition by JPMorgan despite the overall prohibition on any U.S. institution holding more than ten percent of national deposits.  The Senate bill also mandates that IDIs and parent companies adopt governance standards that give the firm power to claw back compensation in the event of weak condition or poor management practice.

COMPENSATION37.pdf

14 06, 2023

CONSUMER51

2023-06-14T16:55:35-04:00June 14th, 2023|5- Client Report|

Chopra Holds His Own Under GOP SVB, Consumer-Protection Attack

With Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) leading the attack with an accusation of CFPB “McCarthyism,” today’s HFSC hearing with Director Chopra tracked much in yesterday’s Senate Banking session.  As before, Republicans strongly attacked the credit-card late-fee proposal (see FSM Report CREDITCARD36) and new small-business reporting requirements.  However, the lengthy session also allowed Members on both sides of the aisle to probe issues to which Senate Banking failed to turn.  One of these was the FDIC’s decision to establish bridge banks for SVB and Signature and to sell FRC to JPM.  Mr. Chopra vigorously denied any role of what some have called progressive ideology in opposing bids for SVB, noting also systemic concerns at that time partly due to fears about Credit Suisse.  The agency’s controversial data-rights proposal will be out in October, with Director Chopra saying also that the proposal covers nonbanks by virtue of the data to be covered.  Provider cyber-security will also be addressed.  This report covers additional high-impact issues at the hearing including AI, UDAAP, and systemic designation.

CONSUMER51.pdf

1 06, 2023

Daily060123

2023-06-01T16:58:53-04:00June 1st, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

BIS Head Presses for New-Age, Tough Bank Supervision

BIS General Manager Carstens today absolved central banks in general and the Fed by clear inference from fault in recent bank failures by way of recent interest-rate hikes.  Noting also that the Basel III construct is very resilient in design and should have prevented these collapses and then the secondary systemic risk that resulted around the world, Mr. Carstens points instead to failures by bank senior management and directors to execute basic risk-management obligations.

Exec-Comp Clawback Bill Takes Shape

With additional GOP support now also on the Banking Committee, Sen. Warren (D-MA) today introduced a revised version of the earlier, also-bipartisan bill on executive-compensation clawbacks following mid-March bank failures (see FSM Report COMPENSATION35).  The new bill covers only banks with assets above $10 billion and direct and indirect compensation over three years, a change from the prior bill’s attempt to capture all compensation.

CFPB Sounds P2P Alarm

Building on its 2022 deposit-insurance representations circular (see FSM Report DEPOSITINSURANCE113), the CFPB today released an issue spotlight warning consumers that funds are at risk with payment apps such as Venmo.  The FDIC is heightening pressure on nonbanks that gather funds which consumers may confuse with insured deposits (see FSM Report DEPOSITINSURANCE117), but doing so for payment apps is far more challenging because funds move quickly in and out of insured accounts.

Daily060123.pdf

30 05, 2023

Daily053023

2023-05-30T17:13:13-04:00May 30th, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Fed Study Validates Bank/Shadow-Bank Interconnections, Systemic Risk

A new study by staff from the Federal Reserve Banks of Boston and New York evaluates the banking-sector impact of fire sales across multiple NBFI segments, finding numerous bank vulnerabilities to nonbanks not only through direct exposures, but also through complex, indirect channels.

McHenry Protests U.S. Outbound-Investment Constraints

HFSC Chairman McHenry (R-NC) sent a letter to Secretary Yellen late Friday demanding information about a potential executive order that would enable CFIUS to prohibit or require notification of outbound investments into China, stating that the Administration’s interest in capital controls necessitates Congressional oversight.

IMF Article Calls SVB Resolution “Riskless Capitalism”

An article in the IMF’s forthcoming Finance and Development magazine issue argues that SVB’s uninsured depositors enjoyed “riskless capitalism,” concluding that high moral hazard-risks will persist without incentives for depositor due diligence.

FTC Demands Greater Debit-Card Data Access

The FTC today finalized a consent order requiring Mastercard to provide competing card networks with the customer account information necessary to process debit payments, alleging that the company illegally withheld that information to prevent merchants from using its competitors or Mastercard-branded debit cards saved in e-wallets outside of traditional networks.

Daily053023.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

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