Later today, Troutman Pepper Partner James Stevens is presenting “Legal and Regulatory Compliance Insights: Focus on BAAS” to 10 founders from the Fintech South Innovation Challenge, the lead-up accelerator to Fintech South, and mentors assigned to those founders. The presentation is being held at the Advanced Technology Development Center at Georgia Tech. James
Troutman Pepper partner James Stevens was a featured speaker during National Fintech Organization’s webinar, “Banking as a Service Explained: Why Some Financial Institutions Hesitate While Others Fully Engage.”
Troutman Pepper partner James Stevens spoke at the annual Georgia Bankers Association meeting alongside Jonathan Hightower, a partner at Fenimore Kay Harrison. Their discussion focused on how, after a challenging year in 2023, many banks are seeking opportunities to regain forward momentum. During the session, James and Jonathan explored various growth opportunities for banks, including the resurgence of community bank mergers and acquisitions, strategies for nontraditional deposit growth, compensation and retention tactics, and leadership succession planning. Additionally, they addressed ways to mitigate emerging risks amidst heightened expectations from regulators and other stakeholders.
On May 3, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (collectively, the agencies) released a guidebook aimed at assisting community banks in managing risks associated with third-party relationships (the TPRM Guide). The TPRM Guide builds upon the principles introduced in the third-party risk management guidance for banking organizations issued by the agencies in June 2023 (the June 2023 Guidance, discussed here) as well as the agencies’ community bank guide for conducting due diligence on fintech companies from October 2023 (discussed here) but does not displace or substitute that prior guidance.
James Stevens, co-leader of Troutman Pepper’s Financial Services Industry Group, was quoted in the March 21, 2024 FinXTech article, “Regulators Focus on Digital Banking’s BSA/AML Compliance Issues.”
Yesterday, the Texas Bankers Association, the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce, the American Bankers Association, the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, the Longview Chamber of Commerce, the Independent Community Bankers of America, and the Independent Bankers Association of Texas Revenue Based Finance Coalition (collectively, the plaintiffs) filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas challenging the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (collectively, the agencies) Final Rule modernizing how they assess lenders’ compliance under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). In their complaint, the plaintiffs asked the court to vacate the Final Rule and provide a preliminary injunction that would pause implementation of the Final Rule while the court decides the case.
We are pleased to share our annual review of regulatory and legal developments in the consumer financial services industry. With active federal and state legislatures, consumer financial services providers faced a challenging 2023. Courts across the country issued rulings that will have immediate and lasting impacts on the industry. Our team of more than 140 professionals has prepared this concise, yet thorough analysis of the most important issues and trends throughout our industry. We not only examined what happened in 2023, but also what to expect — and how to prepare — for the months ahead.
In November 2022, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) launched a targeted crypto asset sweep, reviewing more than 500 retail communications related to crypto assets from member firms.
Partner James Stevens, a co-leader of Troutman Pepper’s Financial Services Group, was quoted in the January 22, 2024 Banking Dive article, “BaaS to Require Strong Commitment, Investment in 2024, Experts Say.”
On December 7, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published the fall edition of its Semiannual Risk Perspective, which discusses key issues facing banks. From the OCC’s perspective, the overall strength of the banking system remains sound and recessionary pressures appear to be easing. The OCC notes that, while many economists had predicted a decline, gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.1% in the second quarter of 2023, slowing just slightly from the first quarter’s 2.2% pace. However, the OCC also emphasized that inflation remains elevated and a slowing labor market, declining savings, and higher interest rates could cause financial stress to borrowers.