#Senate – Federal Financial Analytics

9 04, 2024

AML137

Shane Smith2024-04-09T15:41:41-04:00April 9th, 2024|5- Client Report|

Senators Search for Digital-Asset AML Compromise

Today’s Senate Banking Committee Hearing with Deputy Secretary Adeyemo reviewed the Administration’s request for additional digital asset AML/CFT authority. Democrats were generally supportive of outlined statutory changes, citing various potential legislative solutions. Republicans focused their criticism on the Biden Administration’s efforts to sanction Iran, noting the growth of Iranian oil exports to China as a major avenue of sanction evasion. Although Ranking Member Scott (R-SC) called digital assets the “scapegoat” of this administration, Sens. Tillis (R-NC) and Hagerty (R-TN) floated a discussion draft of legislation to ensure that AML standards apply to centralized, consumer-facing digital asset financial institutions, calling this a good first step to ensuring the broader AML coverage sought in the Warren-Marshall bill (S.2669). Chairman Brown (D-OH) gave no indication of whether he is prepared to give the GOP’s approach consideration as he and others work to include a digital-asset AML bill in legislative vehicles. As noted earlier today, Sen. Warren (D-MA) made it clear that she has considerable problems with pending bipartisan House stablecoin legislation; we think compromise here is quite possible if something AML-related advances which Sen. Warren is willing to support. Surprisingly, Republicans did not use the hearing to press Treasury on SAR surveillance despite Sen. Scott’s letter raising serious concerns in this arena. Much of the hearing also addressed the committee’s bipartisan bill (S.1271) authorizing sanctions targeting fentanyl trafficking.

AML137.pdf…

5 02, 2024

M020524

Shane Smith2024-02-05T10:42:05-05:00February 5th, 2024|6- Client Memo|

Why Lower Rates Won’t Lead to More Affordable Housing

As Politico rightly pointed out last week, the inability of anyone who doesn’t already own a home to get one is turning into a significant political problem for incumbents of all persuasions. It might also come to be one for the Federal Reserve based on a call I got from a senior senator a couple of weeks ago. This is not exactly what the Fed needs given how hot a political potato it’s already become.

m020524.pdf…

5 02, 2024

Karen Petrou: Why Lower Rates Won’t Lead to More Affordable Housing

Shane Smith2024-04-12T10:31:58-04:00February 5th, 2024|The Vault|

As Politico rightly pointed out last week, the inability of anyone who doesn’t already own a home to get one is turning into a significant political problem for incumbents of all persuasions. It might also come to be one for the Federal Reserve based on a call I got from a senior senator a couple of weeks ago. This is not exactly what the Fed needs given how hot a political potato it’s already become.

Having read my economic-inequality book, the senator called to ask if I thought the Fed had any responsibility for the acute shortage of affordable housing. As in all too many other states, his has seen a migration of teachers, first responders, and the middle class as a whole from cities and resort areas, with these vital workers forced to live hours from their jobs and thus in a state of perpetual commuting which they fear puts their children at risk.

This isn’t news, but it’s worse than ever and thus not just a daily grind for many Americans, but also a serious political threat to this moderate Democrat. His state is deep purple and he believes it’s getting redder by the minute thanks to Donald Trump’s ability to mobilize voter anger on day-to-day economic challenges such as the critical one facing those who cannot find affordable, desirable housing within reasonable distance of their jobs.

As might be expected, the senator wasn’t calling to ask an academic question; he wanted to know not just …

31 03, 2023

DAILY033123

Eliza Allen2023-03-31T16:49:24-04:00March 31st, 2023|2- Daily Briefing|

Senate Presses Fed Transparency, Accountability

Responding in part to testimony earlier this week (see Client Report REFORM217), Sens. Tillis (R-NC), Warren (D-MA), and seven colleagues have introduced legislation (S. 1160) to bring Federal Reserve Banks under the FOIA and force greater responsiveness to Congress – a response also to last year’s battle over master-account data and continuing crypto controversies. The measure would also mandate an independent IG, force the Fed to respond to Congressional ethics inquiries, and allow Senate Banking and HFSC bipartisan leadership to review confidential supervisory data. Sen. Tillis and three other Republicans also introduced S. 1155 to redesign the Fed.

Senate Dems Implicitly Chide Administration Reg-Reform Agenda, Demand Holistic Assessment

Following one of the somewhat surprising lines of inquiry at Senate Banking’s SVB hearing, Senate Banking Chairman Brown (D-OH) and all the Committee Democrats today pressed back against the list of rules the White House yesterday prioritized for rewrites. While they did not take issue with that list, they also want FSOC to undertake a holistic review of banking, consumer, and systemic rules, noting the importance in this effort of also protecting small banks from undue harm. The senators expressly want FSOC to go beyond the President’s focus on what they call “traditional” prudential standards also to examine non-quantifiable risks such as social media and AI.

Daily033123.pdf…

10 03, 2023

AI031323

Arezou Rafikian2023-03-10T16:51:59-05:00March 10th, 2023|3- This Week|

They’re Off…

Although the 188^th Congress officially convened on January 3, the race to the statutory finish line generally begins the first week of March and so it proved again this year. We’ve sent you a blizzard of in-depth reports and daily briefings on what seemed to be nonstop consequential hearings in both the House and Senate.

AI031323.pdf…