Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency is issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking to revise and reorganize its regulations relating to the activities and operations of national banks and Federal savings associations. This proposal would clarify and codify recent OCC interpretations, integrate certain regulations for national banks and Federal savings associations, and update or eliminate outdated regulatory requirements that no longer reflect the modern financial system.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, FCA, and FHFA (each, an agency, and collectively, the agencies) are adopting a final rule that amends the agencies' regulations requiring swap dealers and security-based swap dealers under the agencies' respective jurisdictions to exchange margin with their counterparties for swaps that are not centrally cleared (Swap Margin Rule). The Swap Margin Rule as adopted in 2015 takes effect under a phased compliance schedule spanning from 2016 through 2020, and the entities covered by the rule continue to hold swaps in their portfolios that were entered into before the effective dates of the rule. Such swaps are grandfathered from the Swap Margin Rule's requirements until they expire according to their terms. The final rule permits swaps entered into prior to an applicable compliance date (legacy swaps) to retain their legacy status in the event that they are amended to replace an interbank offered rate (IBOR) or other discontinued rate, modifies initial margin requirements for non-cleared swaps between affiliates, introduces an additional compliance date for initial margin requirements, clarifies the point in time at which trading documentation must be in place, permits legacy swaps to retain their legacy status in the event that they are amended due to technical amendments, notional reductions, or portfolio compression exercises, and makes technical changes to relocate the provision addressing amendments to legacy swaps that are made to comply with the Qualified Financial Contract Rules, as defined in the Supplementary Information section. In addition, the final rule addresses comments received in response to the agencies' publication of the interim final rule that would preserve the status of legacy swaps meeting certain criteria if the United Kingdom withdraws from the European Union (hereafter ``Brexit) without a negotiated settlement agreement.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, Commission, FHFA, and HUD (the agencies) are providing notice of the extension of the period for the review, and publication of determination of the review, of the definition of qualified residential mortgage; the community-focused residential mortgage exemption; and the exemption for qualifying three-to-four unit residential mortgage loans, in each case as currently set forth in the Credit Risk Retention Regulations (as defined below) as adopted by the agencies.

On May 28, 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published in the Federal Register an interim final rule to revise its regulations on activities and operations of national banks and corporate activities of Federal savings associations to provide that these institutions may permit telephonic and electronic participation at all board of directors, shareholder, and as applicable, member, meetings. This correcting amendment makes a correction to those interim regulations.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is adopting a final rule to strengthen and modernize the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) by clarifying and expanding the activities that qualify for CRA credit; updating where activities count for CRA credit; creating a more consistent and objective method for evaluating CRA performance; and providing for more timely and transparent CRA-related data collection, recordkeeping, and reporting.

In light of recent disruptions in economic conditions caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 and strains in U.S. financial markets, the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC (together, the agencies) are issuing an interim final rule that temporarily revises the supplementary leverage ratio calculation for depository institutions. Under the interim final rule, any depository institution subsidiary of a U.S. global systemically important bank holding company or any depository institution subject to Category II or Category III capital standards may elect to exclude temporarily U.S. Treasury securities and deposits at Federal Reserve Banks from the supplementary leverage ratio denominator. Additionally, under this interim final rule, any depository institution making this election must request approval from its primary Federal banking regulator prior to making certain capital distributions so long as the exclusion is in effect. The interim final rule is effective as of the date of Federal Register publication and will remain in effect through March 31, 2021. The agencies are adopting this interim final rule to allow depository institutions that elect to opt into this treatment additional flexibility to act as financial intermediaries during this period of financial disruption. The tier 1 leverage ratio is not affected by this interim final rule.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the National Credit Union Administration (collectively, the agencies) are issuing an interagency policy statement on allowances for credit losses (ACLs). The agencies are issuing this interagency policy statement in response to changes to U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) as promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2016-13, Financial InstrumentsCredit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments and subsequent amendments issued since June 2016. These updates are codified in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 326, Financial InstrumentsCredit Losses (FASB ASC Topic 326). This interagency policy statement describes the measurement of expected credit losses under the current expected credit losses (CECL) methodology and the accounting for impairment on available-for-sale debt securities in accordance with FASB ASC Topic 326; the design, documentation, and validation of expected credit loss estimation processes, including the internal controls over these processes; the maintenance of appropriate ACLs; the responsibilities of boards of directors and management; and examiner reviews of ACLs.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is amending its regulations on activities and operations of national banks and corporate activities of Federal savings associations to provide that these institutions may permit telephonic and electronic participation at all board of directors, shareholder, and as applicable, member, meetings. This Interim Final Rule (IFR) will update the OCC's regulations to conform with modern technologies and enable national banks and Federal savings associations to hold these meetings without violating social distancing restrictions imposed in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emergency.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on a continuing information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled ``Mandatory Contractual Stay Requirements for Qualified Financial Contracts.''

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on a continuing information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled ``Supervisory Guidance: Supervisory Review Process of Capital Adequacy (Pillar 2) Related to the Implementation of the Basel II Advanced Capital Framework.''

To provide liquidity to the money market sector, small business lenders, and the broader credit markets in order to stabilize the financial system, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) authorized the establishment of the Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMLF) and the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility (PPPLF), pursuant to section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act. To facilitate use of these Federal Reserve facilities, and to ensure that the effects of their use are consistent and predictable under the Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) rule, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (together, the agencies) are adopting this interim final rule to require banking organizations to neutralize the effect under the LCR rule of participating in the MMLF and the PPPLF.

This interim final rule provides a graduated transition to a community bank leverage ratio requirement of 9 percent from the temporary 8-percent community bank leverage ratio requirement (transition interim final rule). When the requirements in the transition interim final rule become applicable, the community bank leverage ratio will be 8 percent beginning in the second quarter of calendar year 2020, 8.5 percent through calendar year 2021, and 9 percent thereafter. The transition interim final rule also maintains a two-quarter grace period for a qualifying community banking organization whose leverage ratio falls no more than 1 percentage point below the applicable community bank leverage ratio requirement. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (together, the agencies) issued concurrently an interim final rule that established an 8-percent community bank leverage ratio, as mandated under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The agencies are issuing the transition interim final rule to provide community banking organizations with sufficient time and clarity to meet the 9 percent leverage ratio requirement under the community bank leverage ratio framework while they also focus on supporting lending to creditworthy households and businesses given the recent strains on the U.S. economy caused by the coronavirus disease emergency.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled, ``Recordkeeping Requirements for Securities Transactions.'' The OCC also is giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

To provide liquidity to small business lenders and the broader credit markets, to help stabilize the financial system, and to provide economic relief to small businesses nationwide, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) authorized each of the Federal Reserve Banks to participate in the Paycheck Protection Program Lending Facility (PPPL Facility), pursuant to section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act. Under the PPPL Facility, each of the Federal Reserve Banks will extend non-recourse loans to eligible financial institutions to fund loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Paycheck Protection Program established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). To facilitate use of this Federal Reserve facility, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (together, the agencies) are adopting this interim final rule to allow banking organizations to neutralize the regulatory capital effects of participating in the facility. This treatment is similar to the treatment extended previously by the agencies in connection with the Federal Reserve's Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility. In addition, as mandated by section 1102 of the CARES Act, loans originated under the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program will receive a zero percent risk weight under the agencies' regulatory capital rule.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is proposing to amend its rules relating to policies and procedures for corporate activities and transactions involving national banks and Federal savings associations to update and clarify the policies and procedures, eliminate unnecessary requirements consistent with safety and soundness, and make other technical and conforming changes.

In light of recent economic disruptions caused by the COVID-19 virus and recent volatility in U.S. financial markets, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (collectively, the agencies) are issuing a document to allow depository institutions and depository institution holding companies to implement the final rule titled Standardized Approach for Calculating the Exposure Amount of Derivative Contracts (SA-CCR rule) for the first quarter of 2020, on a best efforts basis.

The OCC is adopting an interim final rule to revise the OCC's short-term investment fund (STIF) rule (STIF Rule) for national banks acting in a fiduciary capacity. Sudden disruptions in the financial markets have created conditions that may constrain the ability of a national bank's management team to execute certain elements of a STIF's written investment policy, specifically with regard to investment plan components addressing the weighted average maturity and weighted average life of the STIF's investment portfolio. The OCC is issuing this interim final rule to allow national banks to operate affected STIFs on a limited-time basis with increased maturity limits under these circumstances.

To provide liquidity to the money market sector to help stabilize the financial system, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System authorized the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to establish the Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMLF), pursuant to section 13(3) of the Federal Reserve Act. Under the MMLF, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston will extend non-recourse loans to eligible financial institutions to purchase certain types of assets from money market mutual funds (MMFs). To facilitate this Federal Reserve lending program, the Board, OCC and FDIC (together, the agencies) are adopting this interim final rule to allow banking organizations to neutralize the regulatory capital effects of participating in the program. This treatment would extend to the community bank leverage ratio.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the renewal of an information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning renewal of an information collection titled, ``Guidance on Sound Incentive Compensation Policies.'' The OCC also is giving notice that it has sent the collection to OMB for review.

The OCC, Board, FDIC, SEC, and CFTC (together, the agencies) are inviting comment on a proposal that would amend the regulations implementing section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act (BHC Act). Section 13 contains certain restrictions on the ability of a banking entity or nonbank financial company supervised by the Board to engage in proprietary trading and have certain interests in, or relationships with, a hedge fund or private equity fund. The proposed amendments are intended to continue the agencies' efforts to improve and streamline the regulations implementing section 13 of the BHC Act by modifying and clarifying requirements related to the covered fund provisions.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning renewal of its information collection titled, ``Appraisals for Higher-Priced Mortgage Loans.''

In accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the OCC, the Board, and the FDIC (the agencies) may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. On October 4, 2019, the agencies, under the auspices of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC), requested public comment for 60 days on a proposal to revise and extend the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Reports) (FFIEC 031, FFIEC 041, and FFIEC 051) and the Regulatory Capital Reporting for Institutions Subject to the Advanced Capital Adequacy Framework (FFIEC 101), which are currently approved collections of information. The comment period for the October 2019 notice ended on December 3, 2019. As described in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section, after considering the comments received on the proposal, the agencies are proceeding with the proposed revisions to the reporting forms and instructions for the Call Reports and the FFIEC 101 (except for the reporting changes arising from the proposed total loss absorbing capacity holdings rule that has not yet been finalized), but with certain modifications. In general, the modifications relate to the disclosure of an institution's election of the community bank leverage ratio framework, a change in the scope of the FFIEC 031 Call Report, and the reporting of home equity lines of credit that convert from revolving to non-revolving status. The reporting revisions that implement various changes to the agencies' capital rule would take effect in the same quarters as the effective dates of the capital rule changes, i.e., primarily as of the March 31 and June 30, 2020, report dates. Call Report revisions applicable to operating lease liabilities and home equity lines of credit would take effect in the first quarter of 2020 and 2021, respectively. In addition, the agencies are giving notice they are sending the collections to OMB for review.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation are issuing a final rule to implement a new approachthe standardized approach for counterparty credit risk (SA- CCR)for calculating the exposure amount of derivative contracts under these agencies' regulatory capital rule. Under the final rule, an advanced approaches banking organization may use SA-CCR or the internal models methodology to calculate its advanced approaches total risk- weighted assets, and must use SA-CCR, instead of the current exposure methodology, to calculate its standardized total risk-weighted assets. A non-advanced approaches banking organization may use the current exposure methodology or SA-CCR to calculate its standardized total risk-weighted assets. The final rule also implements SA-CCR in other aspects of the capital rule. Notably, the final rule requires an advanced approaches banking organization to use SA-CCR to determine the exposure amount of derivative contracts included in the banking organization's total leverage exposure, the denominator of the supplementary leverage ratio. In addition, the final rule incorporates SA-CCR into the cleared transactions framework and makes other amendments, generally with respect to cleared transactions.

The OCC, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a continuing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). In accordance with the requirements of the PRA, the OCC may not conduct or sponsor, and the respondent is not required to respond to, an information collection unless it displays a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number. The OCC is soliciting comment concerning the renewal of its information collection titled, ``Recordkeeping Requirements for Securities Transactions.''