Regulatory reform

During the Trump era, the bank regulators couldn’t see eye to eye on how to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act. But a looming leadership change atop the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is boosting optimism that they can harmonize their approaches.

Chair Jerome Powell told a congressional panel that the Federal Reserve is weighing whether to extend temporary relief from the “supplementary leverage ratio” — meant to help banks lend more during the pandemic — beyond March 31.

Trump appointee Jelena McWilliams is slated to be the agency's chair until mid-2023. But legal experts say a provision in the FDIC’s bylaws gives Democratic members of the governing board, now in the majority, an opening to reverse earlier rules championed by Republicans.

Under a proposed rule change, credit unions would no longer need to seek pre-approval from the regulator before entering into interest rate swaps, speeding up transactions for some of the industry’s biggest institutions that already hold over 80% of total assets.

The new administration is wasting no time assembling a team of regulatory appointees and urging agencies to pause pending rules.

The administration faces a slew of immediate financial policy tasks, such as passing a new round of small-business aid, charting a course for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and filling vacant agency leadership posts.

The FHFA and Treasury will allow Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to hold more capital as part of the Trump administration's plans to release the companies from conservatorship. But it is unclear whether the incoming Biden administration will keep the mortgage giants on the same reform path.

Congress acted first when it freed financial firms from having to disclose the beneficial owners of commercial clients. Now it's time for regulators to further ease anti-money-laundering reporting requirements by freeing them from filing duplicative or unnecessary suspicious activity reports.

The agency that supervises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has pushed for revising an agreement with the Treasury Department allowing the mortgage giants to retain their profits. A deal could be out of reach once Joe Biden takes office.

Congress acted first when it freed financial firms from having to disclose the beneficial owners of commercial clients. Now it's time for regulators to further ease anti-money-laundering reporting requirements by freeing them from filing duplicative or unnecessary suspicious activity reports.