All in Regulatory Update

On 6/18/2020, the CFPB announced the establishment of a new pilot advisory opinion program. In their release, the CFPB explains that they are establishing this pilot program in response to feedback received from external stakeholders encouraging the Bureau to provide written guidance in cases of regulatory uncertainty. Specifically, the CFPB states they are establishing the advisory opinion pilot program to provide guidance with interpretive content that is:

On 6/17/2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA) posted a revised version of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan forgiveness application. According to the SBA, this revised application is more “borrower-friendly” than the original application. In addition, the SBA released an EZ version of the application that requires fewer calculations and less documentation for eligible borrowers, who include borrowers that:

On 6/17/2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued Bulletin 2020-61 to inform national banks about how the recently issued “host state loan-to-deposit ratios” are used to determine compliance with laws relating to Interstate Banking and branching efficiency. Specifically, the OCC’s CRA regulation (12 CFR 25, subpart E") includes specific tests for determining whether an interstate bank is lending appropriately in host states where it has branches. The OCC’s new bulletin explains how national banks can use this data.

On 6/16/2020, the CFPB issued a new compliance aid to provide financial institutions with additional information relating to the CARES Act and this COVID-19 pandemic. This new guide (Version 1) reiterates the Bureau’s April 1, 2020 “Statement on Supervisory and Enforcement Priorities Regarding the Fair Credit Reporting Act and Regulation V in Light of the CARES Act” and provides ten questions and answers to assist financial institutions in understanding Bureau expectations.

When the Federal Reserve announced in March that it would temporarily reduce its exam activity in light of the coronavirus response measures banks were taking, we knew this break from exams wouldn’t last forever. On 6/15/2020, the Federal Reserve Board announced that it will resume examination activities for all banks and anticipates that exams will continue to be conducted offsite until conditions improve.

On 6/10/2020, the CFPB issued a new step-by-step guide to help communities form networks to increase their capacity to prevent and respond to elder abuse. Specifically, the guide offers planning tools, templates, and exercises to help stakeholders complete the following key tasks in the creation of a new network or to refresh or expand an existing one…

On 6/8/2020, the Small Business Administration (SBA), along with the Treasury Secretary, issued a joint statement regarding the enactment of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act. Specifically, the SBA is planning to issue rules and guidance, a modified borrower application form, and a modified loan forgiveness application to implement the legislative amendments to the PPP.