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 … Continue Reading
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 strategic focus … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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, … Continue Reading
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, … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
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. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System: https://www.federalreserve.gov/covid-19.htm Commodity Futures Trading Commission: https://www.cftc.gov/coronavirus Conference of State … Continue Reading
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 … Continue Reading
On March 23, 2020, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”) announced a wide array of actions intended to promote economic stability in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, including several different credit facilities. The Federal Reserve announced as one of these credit facilities a renewal of the Term Asset-Backed Securities … Continue Reading
FINRA has supplemented its FAQs related to COVID-19 regulatory relief. Summaries of the new FAQs are provided below. Helpfully, FINRA has also provided a link to state “shelter-in-place” and “stay-at-home” orders. Impact of Communication Disruptions – Implications for Firms. FINRA states that member firms should consider steps they can take to mitigate risks that may … Continue Reading
The STOCK Act clarifies that members of Congress and other congressional employees do, in fact, have a duty of trust and confidence to the Congress, the United States Government, and US citizens.… Continue Reading
On March 16, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Investment Management announced additional COVID-19 related relief. This relief is available on the SEC’s COVID-19 page, available here, and summarized below. Operation of Business From Temporary Locations. The conduct of business from temporary locations, such as an employee’s home, as part of a firm’s … Continue Reading
On March 13, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced conditional, temporary relief for funds (available here) and both registered and exempt reporting investment advisers (available here) impacted by COVID-19. The relief covers in-person board meetings by fund boards and certain filing and delivery requirements for both advisers and funds. Funds and advisers that … Continue Reading
As with other US and non-US regulators, the US federal banking regulators (Federal Reserve Board, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, collectively, the “US federal banking regulators”) have been issuing statements and providing guidance on the impact of the coronavirus on banking services. This blog posts covers some … Continue Reading
In light of mounting concerns about COVID-19, aka the coronavirus, FINRA recently published FINRA Regulatory Notice 20-08 – Pandemic-Related Business Continuity Planning, Guidance and Regulatory Relief. Notice 20-08 provides both guidance on pandemic preparedness and regulatory relief to impacted member firms. Notice 20-08 supplements previous guidance on pandemic preparedness that FINRA published in October 2009 … Continue Reading
