FDIC

The Trump-appointed head of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Jelena McWilliams, said she plans to leave the agency in early February. The announcement comes weeks after Democratic appointees making up a majority of the board had threatened her leadership by acting on policy related to bank mergers without her consent.

Neither Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chair Jelena McWilliams nor the board’s three Democratic directors gave ground in their dispute over control of the agency and the direction of bank merger policy during a meeting Tuesday.

The American Bankers Association urged the agency to maintain “an orderly, transparent policymaking process” after three Democratic directors had approved a board action without including Trump-appointed Chair Jelena McWilliams. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce went a step further, accusing them of trying to “circumnavigate” McWilliams’ authority.

In an unprecedented move, two Democrats on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.’s board said they had approved a review of the policy without the consent of Trump-appointed Chair Jelena McWilliams. The agency released a statement saying the action had no legal standing.

Net income significantly recovered compared with a year earlier, totaling $70.4 billion. But the average net interest margin fell to another record low as lending remained sluggish, the FDIC said in its quarterly update.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is soliciting feedback on banks' experiences with remote exams during the pandemic. Some welcome the review as a step toward a more modern examination system, while others contend the last year and a half exposed the drawbacks of long-distance oversight.

Regulators and the Biden administration are considering how to respond to the sharp growth in digital assets pegged to fiat currency. Their options include establishing rules like those for bank deposits and having the Federal Reserve issue a digital dollar that competes with private-sector stablecoins.

The agency signaled during the Trump administration that it would approve more industrial loan companies following an extended freeze in new charters due to policy disputes. But the thaw will likely prove temporary now that the board's makeup has changed.

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.”

The FDIC said Financial Pacific Leasing, a subsidiary of the Oregon bank, charged undisclosed fees to borrowers, made excessive collection calls and disclosed information about customer debts to third parties.

The industry has raised concerns about nontraditional bank owners, and some lawmakers have backed limits for industrial loan companies and cryptocurrency firms. But members of the House and Senate have been unable to reach a consensus on legislation.