Sep 13, 2024 2024 has been a challenging year for banking-as-a-service (BaaS). The collapse of Synapse served as a prime example of what can happen when banks do not adequately assess the risk they take on from outside fintech partners. Millions of consumers were left without access to hundreds of millions of their own dollars, and, naturally, regulators turned their attention to BaaS.

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March 7, 2024 On February 23rd, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced a consent order with Tennessee-based Lineage Bank regarding its third-party risk management program and financial technology (fintech) partners. This order underscores the regulatory attention on BaaS banks and fintech clients, signaling concerns about potential risks in the financial system.

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January 23, 2024 Last year saw turmoil in the banking industry. The multiple bank failures of 2023 sparked regulatory intensity that will undoubtedly continue into 2024 and the federal agencies’ commitment to addressing key priorities before the fall election will fan the flames.

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January 23, 2024 In 2023, bankers faced their most prolonged challenges to mergers since the 2008–2009 Global Liquidity Crisis. Optimism prevails for 2024. According to Bank Director's 2024 Bank M&A Survey, sponsored by Crowe, approximately one-third of bank executives and directors anticipate their bank will acquire another institution by the end of 2024.

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January 22, 2024 Rising interest rates, structural shifts in remote working, and changes in retail sales and distribution are having a dramatic impact on commercial real estate. While delinquencies, distress, and fire sales haven't been widespread so far, there's a looming concern as a maturity refinancing wall approaches this year. Underwriting and valuations are expected to undergo significant changes in 2024.

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December 20, 2023 The FDIC issued a new FIL directive targeting institutions with high concentrations in Commercial Real Estate (CRE). Their guidance outlines specific criteria triggering heightened regulatory monitoring, signaling increased scrutiny during the next examination, or possibly sooner.

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November 30, 2023 Rising interest rates and the structural shift towards remote work are significantly impacting commercial real estate. While delinquencies, distress, and fire sales haven't been common to date, this may soon change. Banks play a crucial role in commercial real estate projects, and many loans made in better times are now maturing in challenging times.

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November 27, 2023 Banking regulators have finally released the long-awaited final rule reforming Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations—a regulation that often receives mixed sentiments from bankers. Fortunately (or unfortunately), regulatory changes typically unfold incrementally. The new rules, therefore, build upon existing ones rather than taking a wholly new direction.

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October 12, 2023 On September 20th, FDIC Chairman Marty Gruenberg addressed the often overlooked but critically important issue of Financial Stability Risks posed by Nonbank Financial Institutions within the financial sector. These entities provide bank like financing services but do not hold a banking license, are not subject to banking regulations and oversight as are banks.

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October 6, 2023 Model Risk Management (MRM) is a systematic process used by financial institutions (FIs) to govern, evaluate, and mitigate risks related to the utilization of mathematical models and quantitative techniques in their operations, particularly in the context of internal controls and governance for financial operations.

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September 15, 2023 Tuesday began like any other late summer workday. I dropped my daughter off at school and arrived a little late to my office at Bank of America Securities in midtown NYC about 8:30. From our perch on the 48th floor of 9 West 57th, we had a sweeping view of Central Park on one side of the building and a clear view of the twin towers about 4 miles to the south.

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September 7, 2023 Liquidity is a critical component of a bank's financial stability, impacting its ability to meet short-term financial obligations and weather unforeseen economic challenges. The ideal level of liquidity for a bank is influenced by a multitude of factors, including its size, business model, risk tolerance, and regulatory obligations.

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August 29, 2023 The Financial Services industry's increasing intricacy, combined with recent adverse events, has heightened regulatory scrutiny on banks. This is further compounded by liquidity challenges, creating a landscape of unprecedented risk management demands.

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August 25, 2023 The long-awaited new proposed capital rule has finally arrived, spanning well over a thousand pages and addressing precisely the anticipated points. This development has been long in the making, and many might express a collective "finally" in response. Approximately three decades ago, Value at Risk (VaR) established itself as a fundamental concept in financial risk analytics.

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August 18, 2023 The most common measure of money supply, M2, experienced a dramatic and historic run up in 2020-21. As a result of this influx of funds, and the many dislocations attributable to COVID, reducing the money supply to mute the effects of inflation became a strategic focus of the Federal Reserve in 2022 and 2023.

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August 8, 2023 2023 has proven to be a challenging year for financial institutions. Since early 2022, the Federal Reserve contracted the money supply through open market activities, driving rates up, and the value of long-term bonds held in bank portfolios down.

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July 17, 2023 Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is a term a lot of financial institutions are hearing about from their regulators this year. At its heart, ERM is a comprehensive and strategic approach to identifying, assessing, and managing risks across an organization.

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April 11, 2023 In the banking industry, crossing the $1 billion asset threshold is a significant milestone, both regulatory and strategic. At this point banks are subjected to increased regulatory scrutiny at this level, including the requirements of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act (FDICIA).

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