In 2025, debanking initiatives continued to intensify, with new guidance, legislation, and other actions at both the federal and state levels aimed at so-called “discriminatory debanking.”…
Continue Reading Federal and State Efforts Intensify Focus on ‘Debanking’

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Board) has withdrawn supervisory guidance for Board-supervised banks concerning crypto-asset and dollar token activities and Board expectations for these activities. The Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) also withdrew joint supervisory statements on crypto-asset activities and exposures.…

Continue Reading Federal Reserve and FDIC Withdraw Crypto-Asset Guidance for Banks; OCC Issues Clarification for Banks

On Oct. 3, 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) v. Community Financial Services Association of America (CFSA) (Docket No. 22-448), a case that raises the question of whether the CFPB’s funding structure, by which it receives funding directly from the Federal Reserve rather than via a congressional appropriation, violates the U.S. Constitution’s Appropriations Clause and, if so, what the appropriate remedy should be.…

Continue Reading Supreme Court Hears Oral Argument on Constitutionality of CFPB’s Funding

A holding subjecting Term Loan Bs to securities regulation would have a profound effect on the $1.4 trillion market for syndicated term loans and on financial institutions at a time of limited liquidity. …
Continue Reading Are Syndicated Term Loans Securities Under Reves v. Ernst & Young? 2nd Circuit Solicits SEC Views

Crypto-asset businesses, particularly those offering crypto lending, non-fungible tokens, or digital wallet/payments products — which are already facing intense scrutiny from the SEC, CFTC, U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of the Treasury — should not neglect the need to prepare for CFPB and FTC scrutiny. This article explores this trend by the CFPB…

On March 10, 2023, the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation closed Silicon Valley Bank, Santa Clara, California (SVB) and appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) as receiver of SVB. On March 12, 2023, Signature Bank, New York, NY (SigBank) was closed by the New York State Department of Financial Services, which also…

On Jan. 3, 2023, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) (collectively, the “Agencies”) issued a joint statement (Joint Statement) that reiterates prior crypto-related guidance and highlights crypto-asset risks to banking organizations. The Joint Statement follows a…

On Dec. 13, 2022, the Department of Justice announced that Danish global financial institution Danske A/S (Danske Bank) pled guilty and agreed to forfeit $2 billion to resolve an investigation into fraudulent representations it made to U.S. banks about its anti-money laundering (AML) controls in Estonia. As part of a parallel proceeding, the SEC also …

On Nov. 23, 2021, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a joint statement summarizing a new “Crypto-Asset Policy Sprint Initiative.”

Continue reading the full GT Alert.