Carl Aridas – CSM, PMP, SAFe, SFC, Six Sigma Green Belt

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently released the economic and financial market scenarios that will be used in the upcoming stress tests for covered institutions.  Federal bank regulators work together to design Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (“CCAR”) stress tests that are designed to ensure that even in the case of […]

Cryptocurrency continues to grow, and Perficient is committed to helping financial services clients continue to understand and navigate this fast-changing part of the economy. Over the last 90 days, we have let clients know about the federal banking regulators planned cryptocurrency road map, explained what steps national banks need to take to begin crypto activities, […]

Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu spoke in late January at the British-American Business Transatlantic Finance Forum Executive Roundtable regarding the regulation of crypto-assets, including stablecoins.  Mr. Hsu began his speech by noting how cryptocurrency has gone “mainstream with consumers,” noting that 16% of American adults claim to have owned, traded, or used […]

On January 20, 2022 the Federal Reserve released a discussion paper that examined both the pros and cons of a potential U.S. Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). The Federal Reserve invited comments from the public, in particular regarding whether and how a CBDC could improve America’s safe and effective domestic payments system. For the purpose […]

So, you’re the CEO of a national banking corporation or a national savings bank. Therefore, your primary federal bank regulator is the Office of the Controller of the Currency (OCC). The OCC conducts frequent on-site examinations as they investigate, prepare, and then issue its reports of examination. Not only do you and your staff get […]

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) issued a letter (1179) that national banks and federal savings associations must demonstrate that they have adequate controls in place before they can engage in cryptocurrency, distributed ledger, and stablecoin activities. The OCC had issued multiple Interpretive Letters in 2020 and earlier this year related to […]

Recognizing that regulated and non-regulated financial institutions seek to engage in cryptocurrency and crypto asset activities, the three largest federal bank regulators, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, recently issued a joint statement on crypto assets. The regulators broadly defined crypto assets as any […]

Section 165(a) of the Dodd-Frank Act requires the Federal Reserve to establish “enhanced supervision and prudential standards” for bank holding companies with more than $50 billion assets. This scrutiny level is stronger than the standards applicable to smaller institutions and increases based on a bank holding company’s unique riskiness. A. Standards the Federal Reserve Must […]

Do blog readers like to have their opinions heard? For those that do, the Federal Reserve Board has announced it will extend, until September 9, 2021, the comment period for its proposal to govern funds transfers over the Federal Reserve Banks’ FedNow Service. The FedNow Service is a new 24x7x365 service that will support instant […]

The Federal Reserve released in late June the results of its annual bank stress tests. The Fed’s Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (“CCAR”) stress tests are designed to ensure that large banks can lend to households and businesses even in a severe recession. The annual exercise evaluates large banks’ resilience by estimating their loan losses, […]

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has released 16 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) performance evaluations.  These evaluations are based on on-site examinations by OCC-trained staff. On-site examinations are done every other year.  The reviews, which can take weeks for small banks and months for large banks, assess an institution’s performance in helping […]

While many people are returning to the office after their July 4th festivities carrying on as usual, bankers can return knowing that the Federal Reserve Board has extended the Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility until July 30th. The Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility, or PPPLF, extends term credit to financial institutions making Paycheck Protection Program […]