Regulatory Roundup: Important, Not Imminent

MARKET RISK: The Fed put on hold its July 1995 proposal to let banks decide how much capital to set aside for market risk. The agency is expected to resume work on the regulation, now that the interagency market- risk proposal has been completed.

DATA REPORTING: More than a year after it was proposed, a plan to let banks voluntarily collect race and sex data on owners of small businesses remains pending before the Fed. Bankers are generally critical of the proposal, claiming the data would be unreliable. But community activists are hoping two new presidential appointees will push the Fed board to adopt the regulation, which would give the first look at who gets small-business loans. Published April 26, 1995. Comments were due June 27, 1995.

BANK POWERS: The OCC's proposal to let national banks conduct new activities through operating subsidiaries remains in limbo. The agency is awaiting the fate of a House bill to repeal the Glass-Steagall Act, which would require new securities activities to be conducted in holding company subsidiaries. The OCC's plan was proposed in November 1994; comments were due in January 1995.

RECOURSE: The agencies are trying to come up with a comprehensive, credit-rating-based method for determining how much capital banks must hold against assets sold with recourse. An advance notice of proposed rulemaking was issued for comment in May 1994. Comments were due in July 1994. A more concrete proposal is expected this summer.

PREMIUM BASE: The FDIC has had pending since September 1994 an advance notice of proposed rulemaking examining different ways to assess deposit insurance premiums.

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