Regulatory Roundup: RECENT ACTIONS

EXAM GUIDELINES: The Comptroller's office revamped the way it examines national banks with more than $1 billion in assets. Released Jan. 4. Fully effective April 1.

ACCOUNTING RULES: The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council gave banks permission to use "generally accepted accounting principles" on their call reports. Expected to be published soon. Effective with March 1997 call reports.

BANK FEES: The Comptroller's office is lowering examination fees for national banks by 3%. Effective Jan. 31.

CHECK CLEARING FEES: The Fed approved new check clearing and automated clearing house fees. Expected to be published soon. Effective Jan. 2.

FED WIRE II: The Fed established new closing times for the Fed Wire securities system: 3:15 p.m. for transfers and 3:30 p.m. for reversals. Published Aug. 15. Effective Jan. 2.

INSURANCE PREMIUMS: The FDIC cut Bank Insurance Fund premiums by 4 basis points. The highest-rated institutions will now pay the legal minimum of $2,000 a year; others will pay premiums ranging as high as 27 basis points. Savings Association Insurance Fund premiums were not changed. Published Dec. 11. Effective Jan. 1.

HMDA: The Fed adopted a revised commentary for the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act detailing new guidance on prequalifications, loan applications received through brokers, and home-equity lines. Published Dec. 11. Effective Jan. 1.

DEPOSIT LIABILITIES - The FDIC withdrew a proposal to classify promissory notes, bonds, and similar obligations issued by banks or thrifts to obtain funds as deposits. Proposed Nov. 25, 1988. Withdrawn Dec. 27, 1995.

REGULATORY RELIEF - The OTS eliminated 8% of its rulebook, cutting out- of-date and redundant regulations, as the first step in a broader regulatory review. Published Dec. 27. Effective Dec. 27.

LOANS TO ONE BORROWER - The Office of Thrift Supervision finalized an interim rule on loans to one borrower, bringing the definition of capital for the purpose of determining lending limits in line with the definitions of Tier 1 and Tier 2 capital. Interim rule published March 28. Final rule published Dec. 26. Effective Dec. 26.

DISCHARGES OF INDEBTEDNESS - The Internal Revenue Service made final a temporary rule requiring financial institutions to report discharges of indebtedness of $600 or more. Temporary rule published Dec. 27, 1993. Final rule published Jan. 3. Effective Dec. 22, 1996.

FOREIGN INVESTMENTS: The Fed gave banks permission to invest up to 2% of capital in individual foreign investments without prior regulatory approval. Published Dec. 28. Effective Dec. 21.

INTEREST RATE RISK II: The federal banking agencies abandoned plans to collect interest rate risk data from banks during the first quarter of 1996. The data collection was supposed to be a preliminary step toward incorporating interest rate risk into the capital standards. Issued Dec. 12. Effective Dec. 12.

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