Financial Stability

The Federal Reserve announced there will be no change to the federal funds rate following the May meeting of the Federal Open Markets Committee (FOMC). The committee concluded maintaining the target range at 4-1/4 to 4-1/2 percent was the best approach given economic indicators suggesting the risk of higher inflation and unemployment has increased. Read on »

Federal banking regulators have taken steps to improve clarity surrounding digital banking activities, including crypto-assets and digitalization. Find out about some of the latest regulatory moves in this respect and more in this roundup. Read on »

The Federal Reserve has withdrawn various supervisory guidance materials outlining policies regarding cryptocurrencies and other digital tokens. The agency characterized the moves as necessary to ensure industry expectations align with evolving risks and further support innovation in the banking system. Read on »

Federal Reserve Gov. Michelle Bowman, the Trump administration’s nominee to be the agency’s new vice chair for supervision, was praised by Republicans but faced heavy scrutiny from Democrats during her Senate confirmation hearing. Read on »

Another chapter was written in the ongoing legal saga concerning the embattled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau last week. Shortly after a federal court partially lifted a court order preventing mass firings at the bureau, the Trump administration resumed its plans to gut the agency, prompting the courts to intervene again. Read on »

Federal banking regulators granted conditional approval for a $35.3 billion merger agreement through which Capital One Financial Corp. will acquire and merge with Discover Financial Services. As a condition of regulatory approval, Discover must settle any outstanding enforcement actions against the company. Read on »

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. announced a newly modified approach to resolution planning for large banks geared toward focusing on the most relevant operational information for safety and soundness considerations. Read on »

All eyes are on the Federal Reserve as concerns about the economic implications of recent policy changes regarding trade and other factors proliferate among consumers and business leaders. Read about these developments and more in this regulatory roundup. Read on »

A federal court ordered Bank of America to pay nearly $540.3 million for underpaying for deposit insurance. The issue stemmed from a calculation error due to a misinterpretation of a 2011 rule enacted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The rule in question applies when calculating a federally-insured bank’s “counterparty exposure” level for the purpose of ensuring an institution’s safety and soundness. Read on »

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced an organizational restructure which entails the consolidation of its supervisory functions for large, midsize and community banks, among other changes. The announcement set off alarm bells in the community banking sector. Read on »