Compliance Monthly is intended to keep you informed of regulatory changes in advance of their effective date so your institution can have the necessary policies, procedures and processes in place to be compliant at the time of enactment.
November 2019 Compliance Newsletter
Initial Preparations for 2020!
The new year will continue to present challenges for financial institutions with balancing expectations and resources. Our accounting, audit, compliance and IT professionals work with a wide range of financial institutions and interact regularly with the regulatory agencies. These relationships give us a broad perspective regarding industry best practices and regulatory expectation and put us in a unique position to assist our clients in navigating current challenges and prepare those the future may present. Here are some of the topics we want to put on your radar as you start to plan for 2020
DownloadOctober 2019 Compliance Newsletter
The joint Agencies have issued an amendment to the Appraisal Rule that increases the threshold for residential real estate transactions requiring an appraisal from $250,000 to $400,000. For transactions exempted by the $400,000 threshold, the Appraisal Rule requires an evaluation. The Rule also incorporates the appraisal exemption for rural residential properties provided by the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act (EGRCCPA) and requires evaluations for these exempt transactions. In addition, the Appraisal Rule requires appraisals for federally related transactions to be subject to appropriate review for compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP).
DownloadSeptember 2019 Compliance Newsletter
OFAC Interim Rule Guidance
On June 21, 2019, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is issued an interim final rule to amend the Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations.
DownloadAugust 2019 Compliance Newsletter
Availability of Funds and Regulation CC Final Rule
Effective Date: July 1, 2020
In June 2019, the FRB and CFPB finalized amendments to Regulation CC implementing a statutory adjustment to adjust the dollar amounts under the Expedited Funds Availability (EFA) Act for inflation. The final rule applies to all depository institutions regardless of their size.
DownloadJuly 2019 Compliance Newsletter
Interagency Private Flood Insurance Rule
The Interagency Private Flood Insurance rules requiring that lenders must accept private flood insurance if the policy meets certain requirements were effective July 1, 2019. The rule addresses:
- Mandatory Acceptance Requirements
- The Compliance Aid
- Discretionary Acceptance
- Mutual Aid Society Plans
May Monthly Compliance Newsletter
FFIEC Issues 2019 Guide to HMDA Reporting
The FFIEC issued its 2019 A Guide to HMDA Reporting: Getting it Right! This edition is effective as of January 1, 2019, for HMDA submissions due March 1, 2020. The guide includes information regarding a HMDA reporter’s responsibilities and requirements, directions for assembling the necessary tools, and instructions for reporting HMDA data. The guide was developed by the member agencies of the FFIEC. The updated edition incorporates changes that the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act made to HMDA, as well as the CFPB’s related 2018 HMDA interpretive and procedural rule. Additionally, the guide continues to include appendices developed by the member agencies regarding compliance materials useful for navigating HMDA requirements, such as the CFPB’s HMDA Small Entity Compliance Guide and various summary charts (regarding items like institutional coverage and transactional coverage).
April Compliance Newsletter
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has proposed amendments to its 2003 Safeguards Rule and 2000 Privacy Rule, applicable to financial institutions under the Gramm Leach Bliley Act (GLBA). The proposed changes are intended to keep pace with technological developments. The Safeguards Rule requires a financial institution to develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive information security program. The Privacy Rule requires a financial institution to inform customers about its information-sharing practices and allow customers to opt out of having their information shared with certain third-parties. Some of the proposed changes to the Safeguards Rule include:
- Encryption of all consumer data;
- Implementing access controls to prevent unauthorized users from accessing consumer information;
- Implementing multifactor authentication to access consumer data, and
- Requiring periodic reports submitted to the Board to ensure compliance.
The proposed amendments would require covered financial institutions to encrypt all customer data held or transmitted by the institution both in transit over external networks and at rest. The proposed amendments would also require the use of multi-factor authentication for any individual accessing customer information on the institution’s internal networks. Covered financial institutions would need to submit periodic reports to their Boards of Directors.
DownloadMarch Compliance Monthly Newsletter
Banks and Credit Unions now have a better opportunity to ensure that they meet consumers’ needs for short-term, small-dollar loans. The CFPB has proposed to remove the underwriting provisions from the small-dollar (payday) lending rule it issued in October 2017. The rule imposes an ability-to-pay test on a wide range of small-dollar loans of 45 days or less, including payday loans, auto title loans and bank-provided loans with balloon payments. The CFPB’s proposal maintains the complete exemption in the rule for banks and other depository institutions that made 2,500 or fewer small-dollar loans in each of the current and previous years and for which these loans account for less than 10 percent of revenues. The CFPB is also proposing to delay the August 19, 2019 compliance date for the mandatory underwriting provisions of the 2017 final rule to November 19, 2020. The extension is intended to help lenders avoid expending unnecessary resources to comply with provisions that the CFPB has proposed to rescind. Comments on the proposal to delay the compliance date for the ATR provisions are due on or before March 18, 2019. Comments on the proposal to rescind the ATR provisions are due on or before May 15, 2019.
DownloadFebruary Compliance Monthly Newsletter
The long-awaited private flood insurance rule is now here. The Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 required the Agencies to issue a rule to direct regulated lending institutions to accept private flood insurance, as defined by the Biggert-Waters Act, and to notify borrowers of the availability of flood insurance coverage issued by private insurers. There was an original proposal in 2013 regarding private flood insurance, which was later re-proposed in November 2016. The November 2016 Proposed Rule significantly revised the October 2013 Proposed Rule. The final rule is effective July 1, 2019.
DownloadJanuary Compliance Monthly Newsletter
Agencies Update CRA Asset-Size Thresholds
The financial regulatory agencies announced the annual adjustment to the asset-size thresholds they will use to differentiate small and intermediate banks and savings associations under the Community Reinvestment Act. A “small bank” or “small savings association” will be defined as an institution that, as of December 31st of either of the prior two calendar years, had assets of less than $1.284 billion. An “intermediate small bank” or “intermediate small savings association” will be defined as a small institution with assets of at least $321 million as of December 31st of both of the prior two calendar years, and less than $1.284 billion as of December 31st either of the prior two calendar years. These adjustments will be effective January 1, 2019.
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