On 6 July 2021, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision published a report that gives a preliminary assessment of the impact of the implemented Basel reforms during the COVID-19 pandemic as part of a broader review of their effectiveness.
Overall, the report finds that the increased quality and higher levels of capital and liquidity in
On 21 to 23 October 2020, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) held its final quarterly plenary of 2020 as a virtual event. The discussions over three days mostly focussed on Strategic Initiatives reacting to the Covid-19 pandemic and progress made on country specific processes. The FATF also provided an update on their
Financial institutions have had to deal with two challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first challenge is financial – how to address and mitigate the sharp drop in the value of financial assets or loss of liquidity. The second challenge is operational – how to address the risk of failure of resources
On April 9, 2020, the Federal Reserve released an updated term sheet for the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (“TALF”). Eligible borrowers under TALF (“Eligible Borrowers”) must now be U.S. companies that own eligible collateral and maintain an account relationship with a primary dealer. A “U.S. company” now is defined as a business that is
The US anti-money laundering (AML) agency, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), has issued guidance regarding AML compliance for financial institutions during the current COVID-19 pandemic. This guidance would be in addition to any issuances from their respective functional regulators, if any.
March 16 Guidance
On March 16, 2020, FinCEN issued guidance requesting that financial
With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the U.S. economy to a halt, residential mortgage servicers are bracing for widespread defaults as a result of the general economic shutdown. A recent projection from Moody’s estimates that approximately 30% of home loans could enter default if the economic shutdown continues through the summer. To alleviate pressure on borrowers,
On March 10, 2020, the New York Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued guidance to all of its regulated institutions engaged in virtual currency business activity, requiring them to have plans for preparedness to manage the possible operational and financial risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. NYDFS requires the plans to be submitted by Thursday,
After industry groups stressed the need to adopt regulatory changes in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 27, 2020, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, the “Banking Agencies”) issued a joint press release announcing an interim final rule
The US financial regulatory, consumer protection and enforcement supervisors are regularly issuing press releases and statements concerning the COVID-19 pandemic. Each of them has established special links to provide information to the public on its response to the pandemic.
As part of a comprehensive effort to alleviate strain on the commercial paper markets due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on March 17, 2020 the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) announced the creation of the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (“CPFF”). Similar to the CPFF program implemented in 2008, which was