OCC

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.

Sen. Patrick Toomey, the top Republican on the Banking Committee, criticized acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu and others in the Biden administration for advancing “social goals that are unrelated to banking.”

In late July, the Justice Department notified the Houston bank of a potential lawsuit alleging violations between 2013 and 2017, according to a securities filing. Cadence said that its prospective merger partner, BancorpSouth, supports the settlement discussions.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s pledge to rescind Trump-era Community Reinvestment Act reforms and work with other regulators suggests that an interagency agreement is within reach. But outstanding issues remain, particularly around the treatment of online banking activities.

Michael Hsu is reorganizing the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency so that he directly oversees staffers who develop examination strategy. Some analysts suggest the move could result in more aggressive oversight by an agency long accused of being too cozy with national banks.

Recent delays may be frustrating, but the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency isn't closing the door on financial technology companies. However, applicants will have to be patient, forthright about their business plans and willing to actively engage any state or federal regulatory agencies that the OCC consults.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency recently became the third agency along with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without a Senate-confirmed leader. But analysts say the appointment of interim chiefs gives the administration even more control over regulatory initiatives.

The chief operating officer now oversees numerous divisions at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. But as part of a reorganization, the COO’s position is being eliminated and several units will come under the direct authority of the comptroller.

A congressional resolution that invalidates the regulation issued last fall by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency would help regulators crack down on so-called rent-a-bank schemes that promote predatory lending, the president said before signing the measure.

A 2017 investigation into the fake-accounts scandal — conducted by the board of directors with a major assist from the law firm Shearman & Sterling — was billed as independent and objective. Was it?