Interstate Branches Seen Boosting OCC, Fed Roles

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency could be the big winner from interstate branching, according to a new government study.

If banks took full advantage of interstate powers and abolished all but their lead institutions, the study concluded, the number of institutions the agency supervises would rise 14% to 3,219.

The amount of assets under the OCC's jurisdiction would rise $102 billion to $2.5 trillion, according to economists at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

The Federal Reserve, which regulates 1,047 state banks, also would gain from full interstate branching, which takes effect June 1. The Fed would pick up 36 institutions with $146 billion in assets.

The FDIC and Office of Thrift Supervision would both lose. The FDIC would supervise 6,561 state banks, a drop of 384 institutions with $190 billion in assets. The OTS would regulate 1,367 institutions, a decrease of 49 institutions with $59 billion in assets.

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