On October 3, 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) proposed standards for corporate governance and risk management for the institutions it regulates that have $10 billion or more in total assets. The proposed standards would establish extensive and rigid requirements for a wide range of state-chartered banks and reverse decades of reliance on state

Andrew J. Olmem
White Paper: The Final Stretch: Securitization in the US Under the Proposed Basel III Endgame Rules
On July 27, 2023, the US banking regulators issued a proposal to significantly revise the risk-based capital requirements applicable to large banks and to banks with significant trading activity. The proposal, which is colloquially referred to as “Basel III Endgame” or “Basel IV,” includes important changes to the calculation of credit risk weights for securitization…
Long-Term Debt Requirements Proposed for US Regional Banks
On August 29, 2023, US federal banking regulators issued a proposal for long-term debt (“LTD”) requirements on certain midsize and larger US banking organizations (the “LTD Proposal”). The LTD Proposal is important because it would require many regional and larger banking organizations to issue significant amounts of LTD. In this Legal Update, we provide background…
A Road Not Taken: Where the US Capital Proposal Differs From Basel
On July 27, 2023, US federal banking regulators issued proposals to significantly revise the risk-based regulatory capital requirements for certain midsize and larger US banking organizations (the “Capital Proposal”) and change the method for calculating the capital surcharge for global systemically important banking organizations (“G-SIBs”). These proposals are of critical importance because the amount of…
Overhaul of Regulatory Capital Requirements Proposed by US Banking Regulators
On July 27, 2023, US federal banking regulators issued proposals to (i) significantly revise the risk-based regulatory capital requirements for certain midsize and larger US banking organizations (the “Capital Proposal”) and (ii) change the method for calculating the capital surcharge for globally systemically important banking organizations (“G-SIBs”) (the “G-SIB Surcharge Proposal”). These proposals are of…
Basel Committee Seeks Public Comments on Bank Supervision
Banking organizations should take note that last week the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (“Basel Committee”) released proposed revisions to its core principles for effective banking supervision (the “Revised Principles”). The Revised Principles, if adopted by the Basel Committee, will not have the force of law on their own. However, the International Monetary Fund and…
Virtual Currency Activity Prior Approval Requirement Established by NYDFS
On December 15, 2022, the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) issued guidance clarifying that all New York banking organizations are required to obtain prior agency approval for virtual currency-related activity (“2022 Guidance”). The 2022 Guidance is similar to prior notice guidance issued by the federal banking regulators but establishes highly prescriptive information requirements…
PCAOB Secures Complete Access to Inspect and Investigate Chinese Audit Firms, but SEC Signals Must Remain Vigilant
Yesterday, the US Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (“PCAOB”) announced it had secured complete access to inspect and investigate issuer engagements of audit firms headquartered in China and Hong Kong, marking the first time in history that Chinese authorities allowed complete access for inspections and investigations meeting US standards.
Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the PCAOB…
What the FSOC Report Signals About the Future of Crypto-Asset Policy
On October 4, 2022, the US Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) released its Report on Digital Asset Financial Stability Risks and Regulation (FSOC Report). Weighing in at over 120 pages, the FSOC Report provides a thorough discussion of the regulation of crypto-assets and their potential financial stability risks. Most importantly, the report sets forth several…
U.S. Treasury Issues Three Reports on the Future of Digital Assets and Central Bank Digital Currency
On September 16, 2022, the Treasury Department issued three reports pursuant to President Joseph Biden’s March 9 Executive Order 14067 on “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets.” The issuance of the reports was followed by Treasury Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Nellie Liang giving remarks at the Brookings Institution on September 22 explaining the reports…