12 CFR - Banks and Banking

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is amending Regulation C to make technical corrections to and to clarify certain requirements adopted by the Bureau's Home Mortgage Disclosure (Regulation C) final rule (2015 HMDA Final Rule), which was published in the Federal Register on October 28, 2015. The Bureau is also amending Regulation C to increase the threshold for collecting and reporting data about open-end lines of credit for a period of two years so that financial institutions originating fewer than 500 open-end lines of credit in either of the preceding two years would not be required to begin collecting such data until January 1, 2020. The Bureau also is adopting a new reporting exclusion.

The Board is adopting a final rule to promote U.S. financial stability by improving the resolvability and resilience of systemically important U.S. banking organizations and systemically important foreign banking organizations pursuant to section 165 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act). Under the final rule, any U.S. top-tier bank holding company identified by the Board as a global systemically important banking organization (GSIB), the subsidiaries of any U.S. GSIB (other than national banks, federal savings associations, state nonmember banks, and state savings associations), and the U.S. operations of any foreign GSIB (other than national banks, federal savings associations, state nonmember banks, and state savings associations) would be subjected to restrictions regarding the terms of their non-cleared qualified financial contracts (QFCs). First, a covered entity generally is required to ensure that QFCs to which it is party provide that any default rights and restrictions on the transfer of the QFCs are limited to the same extent as they would be under the Dodd-Frank Act and the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Second, a covered entity generally is prohibited from being party to QFCs that would allow a QFC counterparty to exercise default rights against the covered entity, directly or indirectly, based on the entry into a resolution proceeding under the Dodd-Frank Act or Federal Deposit Insurance Act, or any other resolution proceeding, of an affiliate of the covered entity. The final rule also amends certain definitions in the Board's capital and liquidity rules; these amendments are intended to ensure that the regulatory capital and liquidity treatment of QFCs to which a covered entity is party is not affected by the final rule's restrictions on such QFCs. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) are expected to issue final rules that would subject GSIB subsidiaries for which the OCC and FDIC are the appropriate Federal banking agency to requirements substantively identical to those in this final rule.

The OCC and the FDIC (“Agencies”) are proposing to shorten the standard settlement cycle for securities purchased or sold by national banks, federal savings associations, and FDIC-supervised institutions. The Agencies' proposal is consistent with an industry-wide transition to a two-business-day settlement cycle, which is designed to reduce settlement exposure and align settlement practices across all market participants.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is issuing this final rule amending the official interpretations for Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act (TILA). The Bureau is required to calculate annually the dollar amounts for several provisions in Regulation Z; this final rule revises, as applicable, the dollar amounts for provisions implementing TILA and amendments to TILA, including under the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act), the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act of 1994 (HOEPA), and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act). The Bureau is adjusting these amounts, where appropriate, based on the annual percentage change reflected in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in effect on June 1, 2017.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) (collectively, the agencies) are inviting public comment on a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPR) that would extend the current treatment under the regulatory capital rules (capital rules) for certain regulatory capital deductions and risk weights and certain minority interest requirements, as they apply to banking organizations that are not subject to the advanced approaches capital rules (non-advanced approaches banking organizations). Specifically, for non-advanced approaches banking organizations, the agencies propose to extend the current regulatory capital treatment of: Mortgage servicing assets; deferred tax assets arising from temporary differences that could not be realized through net operating loss carrybacks; significant investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions in the form of common stock; non-significant investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions; significant investments in the capital of unconsolidated financial institutions that are not in the form of common stock; and common equity tier 1 minority interest, tier 1 minority interest, and total capital minority interest exceeding the capital rules' minority interest limitations. The agencies expect in the near term to issue a separate NPR seeking public comment on a proposal to simplify the regulatory capital treatment of these items. Providing the proposed extension to non-advanced approaches banking organizations for these items would avoid potential burden on banking organizations that may be subject in the near future to a different regulatory capital treatment for these items.

The Board is seeking comment on a proposed new rating system for its supervision of large financial institutions. The proposed “Large Financial Institution Rating System” is closely aligned with the Federal Reserve's new supervisory program for large financial institutions. The proposed rating system would apply to all bank holding companies with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more; all non-insurance, non-commercial savings and loan holding companies with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more; and U.S. intermediate holding companies of foreign banking organizations established pursuant to the Federal Reserve's Regulation YY. The proposed rating system includes a new rating scale under which component ratings would be assigned for capital planning and positions, liquidity risk management and positions, and governance and controls; however, a standalone composite rating would not be assigned. The Federal Reserve proposes to assign initial ratings under the new rating system during 2018. The Federal Reserve is also seeking comment on proposed revisions to existing provisions in Regulations K and LL so they would remain consistent with certain features of the proposed rating system.

The OCC is seeking the public's input with this request for information to assist in determining how the final rule implementing section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act (commonly referred to as the “Volcker Rule”) should be revised to better accomplish the purposes of the statute. The OCC also solicits comments suggesting improvements in the ways in which the final rule has been applied and administered to date. This OCC request is limited to regulatory actions that may be undertaken to achieve these objectives. The OCC is not requesting comment on changes to the underlying Volcker statute. The OCC recognizes that any revision to the final rule or the administration of that rule must be done consistent with the constraints of the statute and requests that commenters provide input that fits within the contours of that structure.

The NCUA Board (Board) proposes to amend its share insurance requirements rule to provide federally insured credit unions (FICUs) with greater transparency regarding the calculation of a FICU's proportionate share of a declared equity distribution from the National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF) and to add a temporary provision to govern NCUSIF equity distributions resulting from the Corporate System Resolution Program. The Board also proposes to prohibit a FICU that terminates federal share insurance coverage during a particular calendar year from receiving an NCUSIF equity distribution for that calendar year to provide greater fairness to FICUs that remain federally insured. The Board proposes to make technical and conforming amendments to other aspects of the share insurance requirements rule in light of these proposed changes.

The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA) amended the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (Safety and Soundness Act) to require the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) (together, the Enterprises), and the Federal Home Loan Banks (Banks or Bank System) and the Bank System's Office of Finance (collectively, the regulated entities) to promote diversity and ensure the inclusion of minorities and women in all business and activities at all levels, including management, employment, and contracting. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is issuing this final rule amending its regulations on minority and women inclusion (MWI) to clarify the scope of the regulated entities' obligation. The final rule requires the regulated entities to: Adopt strategic plans to promote the inclusion of minorities-, women-, and disabled individuals, and the businesses they own (MWDOB); amend their policies on equal employment opportunity (EEO) to include sexual orientation, gender identity, and status as a parent; and enhance the usefulness of information the regulated entities report to FHFA on their efforts to advance diversity and inclusion (D&I).

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau or CFPB) proposes amendments to Regulation C that would, for a period of two years, increase the threshold for collecting and reporting data with respect to open-end lines of credit so that financial institutions originating fewer than 500 open-end lines of credit in either of the preceding two years would not be required to begin collecting such data until January 1, 2020.

Pursuant to section 1028(b) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau) is issuing this final rule to regulate arbitration agreements in contracts for specified consumer financial product and services. First, the final rule prohibits covered providers of certain consumer financial products and services from using an agreement with a consumer that provides for arbitration of any future dispute between the parties to bar the consumer from filing or participating in a class action concerning the covered consumer financial product or service. Second, the final rule requires covered providers that are involved in an arbitration pursuant to a pre-dispute arbitration agreement to submit specified arbitral records to the Bureau and also to submit specified court records. The Bureau is also adopting official interpretations to the regulation.

The Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection (Bureau or CFPB) is proposing to amend Regulation E, which implements the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, and Regulation Z, which implements the Truth in Lending Act, and the official interpretations to those regulations. This proposal relates to a final rule, published in the Federal Register on November 22, 2016, as amended on April 25, 2017, regarding prepaid accounts under Regulations E and Z. This proposal requests comment on potential modifications to several aspects of that rule, including error resolution and limitations on liability for prepaid accounts where the financial institution has not completed its consumer identification and verification process; application of the rule's credit-related provisions to digital wallets that are capable of storing funds; certain other clarifications and minor adjustments; and two issues relating to the effective date of the rule.

The Board is amending subparts A, C, and D of Regulation CC, Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks, which implements the Expedited Funds Availability Act of 1987 (EFA Act), the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act of 2003 (Check 21 Act), and the official staff commentary to the regulation. In the final rule, the Board has modified the current check collection and return requirements to reflect the virtually all-electronic check collection and return environment and to encourage all depositary banks to receive, and paying banks to send, returned checks electronically. The Board has retained, without change, the current same-day settlement rule for paper checks. The Board is also applying Regulation CC's existing check warranties under subpart C to checks that are collected electronically, and in addition, has adopted new warranties and indemnities related to checks collected and returned electronically and to electronically-created items.