FDIC

The agency asked bankers to reflect on their experience with virtual monitoring over the past year amid speculation that the pandemic could speed a full conversion to off-site supervision.

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council says bank accounts and information systems have become more vulnerable as mobile and other technologies have expanded. It issued guidelines on detailed steps financial institutions should take to heighten security.

The Boston-based cryptocurrency firm says it would welcome the tough oversight that comes with being a bank. Yet Biden-era regulators have shown apprehension about granting approvals to digital-asset firms.

The San Francisco company says it will "modify and strengthen" its filings with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Utah officials and "resubmit at a later date." It's the latest fintech to encounter such a setback, though some later secured approval.

The industry reported a net release of reserves, helping to make up for a record-low net interest margin and the first year-over-year decline in loan balances in nearly a decade, the FDIC says in its latest Quarterly Banking Profile.

After much anticipation, the Federal Reserve last year finally joined the Network for Greening the Financial System, which develops regulatory best practices for combating climate risks. But all U.S. banking regulators must participate for the effort to succeed, some observers argue.

The agency issued a request for information to gather feedback about how institutions facilitate use of cryptocurrencies and other kinds of assets, and what factors regulators should weigh as they develop supervisory policies.

Financial institutions said they needed more time to weigh in on issues such as how they use artificial intelligence for fraud prevention and underwriting.

In letters to regulators and lawmakers, bankers and their trade groups argued that deals like Vystar Credit Union's proposed acquisition of a small Georgia bank could result in less community development lending and declines in federal tax receipts.

Chairman Jelena McWilliams said the agency will issue a request for information "to learn more about what banks are doing, what banks are considering doing and what, if anything, the FDIC should be doing in this space.”