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☆ The Chair of the FDIC is facing calls to resign after scathing report. The implications for banks could be significant
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN —Martin Gruenberg, the chair of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, is facing a barrage of calls from lawmakers to resign after a scathing 234-page report released Tuesday detailed pervasive sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying at the agency. If he heeds the calls, there could be significant ramifications for banks across the country. “We do recognize that, as a number of FDIC employees put it in talking about Chairman Gruenberg, culture ‘starts at the top,’” the report said. Gruenberg’s temperament “may hinder his ability to establish trust and confidence in leading meaningful culture change,” the report added. Aside from Democratic Rep. Bill Foster, Democrats have stopped short of calling on Gruenberg to resign.

Persons: New York CNN — Martin Gruenberg, Cleary Gottlieb Steen, Gruenberg, ‘, ’, “, ” That’s, CNN Gruenberg “, Joe Biden, Bill Foster, That’s, Travis Hill, Rulemaking, ” Dennis Kelleher, Hill, Cowen, Sen, Elizabeth Warren aren’t, Karine Jean, Pierre didn’t, Biden, Kelleher Organizations: New, New York CNN, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Hamilton, FDIC, CNN, Democrat, Democratic Rep, Republican, Senate, Democratic, Better, Federal Reserve, White Locations: New York, Basel

☆ The alleged architect of a multibillion-dollar fraud that shook Wall Street heads to trial
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —In the spring of 2021, you might have heard about a small investment firm with an odd name, Archegos, that imploded practically overnight and left big Wall Street banks sweating over billions of dollars in losses. Put simply, prosecutors say Hwang had used financial instruments called “total return swaps” to gain exposure to the stocks without actually owning them. Over the course of a year, prosecutors say, Hwang grew his $1.5 billion portfolio into a $35 billion portfolio. Why the case mattersWhite-collar crime on Wall Street may seem like a distant problem for most Americans, and that may be true. And sometimes, as in the financial crisis of 2008, it was a bit of Wall Street tinkering in derivatives contracts that blew up in banks’ faces and collapsed the housing market.

Persons: CNN Business ’, Bill Hwang, Hwang, Matt Egan, Banks, Archegos, ” Hwang, Hwang didn’t, ”, isn’t, Dennis Kelleher Organizations: CNN Business, New York CNN, Archegos, Management, Viacom, Discovery, Warner Bros, CNN, Term Capital Management, Credit Suisse, Employees, Bloomberg, Tiger Asia Management Locations: New York, Korean, York City, ’

☆ SEC approves bitcoin ETFs for some investment firms
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Jeanne Sahadi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

“While we approved the listing and trading of certain spot bitcoin ETP shares today, we did not approve or endorse bitcoin. The SEC had a deadline of January 10 to offer a decision for just one of the 11 firms that applied to offer bitcoin ETFs. Bitcoin ETFs, like bitcoin, carry risks for investorsFor those considering jumping on the bitcoin bandwagon, it’s important to note that the price of a bitcoin will be just as volatile whether you invest in it directly yourself or through an ETF. Those sentiments have been echoed by many financial advisers and the investor watchdog group Better Markets, which strongly opposed the SEC’s approval of bitcoin ETFs. The full list of companies that got SEC approval to launch bitcoin ETFs are: Ark Invest together with 21 Shares; Bitwise, BlackRock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton, Grayscale, Hashdex, Invesco, WisdomTree, Valkyrie and VanEck.

Persons: Gary Gensler, bitcoin, ”, Gensler, Dennis Kelleher, “, Sheila Warren, Franklin Templeton Organizations: New, New York CNN, Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC, FBI, Investments, Better, Street, Crypto, Innovation, Fidelity Locations: New York, BlackRock

WASHINGTON (AP) — While the scandals in the cryptocurrency industry seem to never end, Washington policymakers appear to have little interest in pushing through legislation to codify the structure of the industry. The latest shoe to drop is Binance’s multibillion dollar settlement with U.S. authorities and the resignation of its CEO this week. When cryptocurrencies collapsed and a number of companies failed last year, Congress considered multiple approaches for how to regulate the industry in the future. Brown has been highly skeptical of cryptocurrencies as a concept and he’s been generally reluctant to put Congress’ blessing on them through legislation. Yesterday’s development marks the same inflection point that we saw earlier at the intersection of the .com and post-.com eras.”

Persons: Sam Bankman, cryptocurrencies, Janet Yellen, Changpeng Zhao, Zhao, Binance, General Merrick Garland, — Binance, Debbie Stabenow, John Boozman, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Brown, He’s, ” Brown, Fried, can’t, ”, Dennis Kelleher, Yiannis Giokas Organizations: WASHINGTON, Treasury, White, Biden Administration, Binance, U.S . Treasury, U.S, Securities and Exchange Commission, Coinbase, SEC, PayPal, Futures Trading Commission, Agriculture Committee, U.S ., Financial Services, Senate, Consumer, Better, Moody’s Analytics, U.S . Authorities Locations: Washington, United States, Cayman Islands, Ohio, stablecoins, U.S

The group usually has one active case against financial regulators, but currently has two against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and one against the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), he said. To be sure, the financial regulators have been sued many times during previous administrations, including by pro-reform advocacy groups. "There are some financial regulators that are walking right into it," he added. In September, for example, bank groups accused regulators including the Federal Reserve of violating the APA with a new capital rule. According to research by Wharton School professor David Zaring, neither industry groups nor individual lenders have filed more than one suit over the past decade challenging Fed policymaking.

Persons: Jim Bourg, Gibson, Dunn, Crutcher, Joe Biden's, Donald Trump's, Tom Quaadman, Jack Inglis, CFPB, Dennis Kelleher, Trump, Eugene Scalia, Gibson Dunn, Scalia, Antonin Scalia, Rebeca Romero Rainey, David Zaring, Kelleher, Douglas Gillison, Chris Prentice, Pete Schroeder, Nate Raymond, Jody Godoy, Megan Davies, Nick Zieminski Organizations: U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Democratic, Republican, Reuters, APA, U.S . Chamber of Commerce, Securities and Exchange Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Funds, Alternative Investment Management Association, Fifth Circuit, Appeals, Better Markets, Biden, American Bankers Association, Labor, Supreme, Independent Community Bankers of, Federal, Wharton School, Thomson Locations: Washington, Independent Community Bankers of America

☆ Banking industry direct deposit delays: Customers of Bank of America, Chase, and more have reported payment issues
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

New York CNN —Some customers still haven’t received their direct deposit paychecks following a “human error” last week deep in the plumbing of America’s banking system. The deposit delays are linked to a problem that emerged on Friday with the Automated Clearing House (ACH) payments system, causing headaches for consumers and employers. An industry source confirmed to CNN on Monday that it’s likely some customers haven’t received their deposits yet. Clearing house says it was a ‘manual error’Asked for comment, multiple banks referred inquiries to The Clearing House, which is owned by the largest commercial banks including Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, CitiBank and Wells Fargo. The Clearing House did not provide an updated comment on Monday or any timetable for when the problem will be fully resolved.

Persons: haven’t, Banks, Chase, ”, Downdetector, Wells, “ Wells, Wells Fargo, Jim Seitz, ” Chase, Greg MacSweeney, MacSweeney, Dennis Kelleher, ” Kelleher Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Bank of America, US Bank, Twitter, “, ” Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, CitiBank, House, Federal Reserve, Fed, ACH Network, Better Locations: New York, Wells Fargo, ACH, United States

When cryptocurrencies collapsed and a number of companies failed last year, Congress considered multiple approaches for how to regulate the industry in the future. Ironically, the failure of Bankman-Fried's FTX and his subsequent arrest late last year may have contributed to the momentum for regulation stalling out. Before FTX imploded, Bankman-Fried spent millions of dollars — illegally taken from his customers it turns out — to influence the discussion around cryptocurrency regulation in Washington and push for action. “Moreover, almost everything the crypto industry does is clearly covered by existing securities and commodities laws that every other law-abiding financial firm in the country follow," he said. Bartlett Collins Naylor, a financial policy advocate for Public Citizen's Congress Watch said “laws on fraud and securities are currently sound.”__Hussein reported from Lewiston, Maine

Persons: Sam Bankman, cryptocurrencies, FTX, Fried, “, Sens, Debbie Stabenow, John Boozman, Sen, Sherrod Brown, Brown, He’s, ” Brown, can’t, Joe Biden, Dennis Kelleher, Bartlett Collins Naylor, __ Hussein Organizations: Securities and Exchange Commission, Coinbase, PayPal, SEC, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, Agriculture Committee, U.S ., Financial Services, White, Federal Reserve, Consumer, Better, Public Citizen's, Watch Locations: PALM SPRINGS, Calif, Washington, Ohio, stablecoins, Lewiston , Maine

☆ FDIC says it should have supervised First Republic more closely
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Pete Schroeder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

FILE PHOTO: A person walks past a First Republic Bank branch in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S., March 13, 2023. However, the FDIC added that its supervisors were too “generous” in gauging some of First Republic’s risks, notably around interest rates and uninsured deposits. First Republic was subsequently seized by the FDIC and most of its assets sold to JPMorgan Chase. Similarly, the FDIC found in its April post-mortem of the Signature failure that the agency lacked resources to properly supervise the bank as management pursued an overly aggressive growth strategy. “Both regulation and supervision must be strengthened,” said CEO Dennis Kelleher of Better Markets, a group favoring tougher regulation, in response to the report.

Persons: Mike Segar, “, Friday’s, ”, Dennis Kelleher Organizations: WASHINGTON, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, Republic, First, First Republic Bank, REUTERS, FDIC, Silicon Valley Bank, JPMorgan Chase, Bank, Federal Reserve, Congress, Better Locations: First Republic, Midtown Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, California, Republic, Silicon, New York

By increasing the degree of risk attributed to certain assets, the proposed rules would require banks to hold proportionately more capital, potentially eating into returns on equity and profits. Making such lending more expensive will shrink credit available to historically under-served borrowers, something the industry is likely to fight, he said. Chen Xu, an attorney in the financial institutions group at Debevoise & Plimpton, said the new rules viewed high-revenue business lines as higher risk. Morgan Stanley (MS.N) analysts say the largest banks may take up to four years to set aside profits to comply with the new capital rules. Dennis Kelleher, head of the financial reform advocacy group Better Markets, said the banking industry had made similar complaints in the past which he believed had proven unfounded.

Persons: Mike Segar, Joe Saas, Chen Xu, Plimpton, Michael Barr, JPMorgan Chase, Jamie Dimon, Wells Fargo, Kevin Stein, Morgan Stanley, Richard Ramsden, Goldman Sachs, Ramsden, Dennis Kelleher, Douglas Gillison, Tatiana Bautzer, Nupur Anand, Saeed Azhar, Megan Davies, Anna Driver Organizations: Wall, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Industry, Financial Services, Bank Policy Institute, Securities Industry, Financial Markets Association, Debevoise, JPMorgan, CNBC, Citigroup, Bank of America, Klaros Group, Banking Supervision, Better, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Washington, Wells, Basel

The rule, which would implement a 2017 agreement by global regulators, aims to overhaul how banks gauge their riskiness, and in turn how much money they must keep on hand. Industry opponents have already begun to criticize the plan as banks seek to soften, delay, or otherwise derail the government's long-planned effort. The proposal would see U.S. regulators implement a previous global agreement via the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. "Bank capital is critical," said Dennis Kelleher, president and CEO of Better Markets, which advocates for tougher financial rules. "However, maximizing Wall Street’s bonuses depends on minimizing capital and that’s why Wall Street fights to prevent regulators from requiring them to have enough capital."

Persons: it’s, Ian Katz, JPMorgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Michael Barr, Barr, Joe Biden, Dennis Kelleher, Pete Schroeder, Susan Heavey Organizations: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal, Industry, Washington, Capital Alpha Partners, JPMorgan, Banking Supervision, Citizens Financial, Bank, Better, Thomson Locations: U.S, Basel, Huntington, that’s

☆ Banks with at least $100 billion in assets could face higher capital limits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( Elisabeth Buchwald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Banks with at least $100 billion in assets would be subject to similar regulation that banks with $700 billion in assets currently face, under Barr’s proposal. These regulations would force banks to hold an additional two percentage points of capital, or an additional $2 of capital for every $100 of risk-weighted assets, Barr said. “Our recent experience shows that even banks [with at least $100 billion in assets] can cause stress that spreads to other institutions and threatens financial stability,” Barr in remarks at the Bipartisan Policy Center. Requiring banks to hold more capital could help mitigate risks that arise when banks are under stress. Barr on Fed’s fight against inflationIn addition to discussing bank regulation, Barr also spoke about the Fed’s plans to get inflation down.

Persons: Michael Barr, Banks, Barr, “, ” Barr, SVB, Kevin Fromer, ”, Dennis Kelleher Organizations: New, New York CNN — Federal, Center, Valley Bank, Financial Services, Wall, Better, CNN Locations: New York

Banks' commercial real estate portfolios performed better than expected, showing $65 billion in losses or 8.8% of average loan losses, slightly down on last year's 9.8%, the Fed said. "Some may ask how all the banks can get a regulatory thumbs-up when the industry just went through a period of turmoil. The test assesses whether banks would stay above the required minimum 4.5% capital ratio. The average capital ratio for the 23 banks was 10.1%, the Fed said. That compares with 9.7% last year, when the central bank tested 34 lenders against a slightly easier scenario.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab, Michael Barr, ” Barr, Banks, Barr, Lindsey Johnson, Dennis Kelleher, Ian Katz, Pete Schroeder, Caroline Valetkevich, Deepa Babington, Stephen Coates Organizations: Federal, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Citigroup, Charles Schwab Corp, Deutsche Bank's, Financial Corp, U.S . Bancorp, Valley Bank, Wells, JPMorgan, Industry, Consumer Bankers Association, U.S, Treasury, T Bank, PNC Financial, Citizens Financial, Better, Fed, Capital Alpha Partners, Thomson Locations: Big U.S, Wells Fargo, U.S

☆ FDIC accidentally reveals details about Silicon Valley Bank’s biggest customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

New York CNN Business —The FDIC mistakenly revealed to Bloomberg News details on the biggest customers at Silicon Valley Bank, the failed bank whose depositors were rescued through emergency action by regulators. According to Bloomberg, that document was accidentally released unredacted by the FDIC in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. For instance, leading venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, held just more than $1 billion at SVB, according to the FDIC document. The FDIC document indicates the Chinese firm held about $903 million at SVB. The FDIC, charged with insuring deposits at banks, apparently did not intend to release the details on SVB’s biggest customers.

Persons: SVB, Zhipin, Dennis Kelleher, ” Kelleher, Mike Pence, ” Organizations: New York CNN Business —, Bloomberg, Silicon Valley Bank, Bloomberg News, FDIC, Sequoia Capital, PayPal, Google, Apple, Sequoia, CNN, Better Markets, Internet, Better, Main Street Locations: Silicon, Beijing

May 1 (Reuters) - Regulators seized First Republic Bank (FRC.N) and sold its assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) on Monday, in a deal to resolve the largest U.S. bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis and draw a line under a lingering banking turmoil. Shares of JPMorgan rose 2% on Monday, while those of mid-tier banks fell and the KBW Regional Banking Index (.KRX) closed down 2.7%. [1/3] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. "This is not the world financial crisis, this is not the savings and loan crisis. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

Shares of JPMorgan and some of the other the largest U.S. banks rose on Monday, while those of mid-tier banks fell. [1/3] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. "This is not the world financial crisis, this is not the savings and loan crisis. JPMorgan also entered into a loss-share agreement with the FDIC on single family, residential and commercial loans it bought, but will not take First Republic Bank's corporate debt or preferred stock. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

First Republic was one of the major casualties of the banking crisis triggered in March, when depositors fled en masse from some U.S. lenders to institutions such as JPMorgan that they thought were safer. [1/2] People walk past a First Republic Bank branch in San Francisco, California, U.S. April 28, 2023. JPMorgan has assumed all of the bank's deposits, it said, and will repay $25 billion of the $30 billion big banks deposited with First Republic in March. JPMorgan said it expected to achieve a one-time, post-tax gain of about $2.6 billion after the deal. The failed bank's 84 offices in eight states will reopen as branches of JPMorgan Chase Bank from Monday, it added.

☆ The Fed’s autopsy report on Silicon Valley Bank is coming. Here’s what to expect
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The Federal Reserve, which is responsible for supervising banks in the United States, plans to release its report at 11 a.m. Another federal regulator, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, will release a similar report on Signature Bank, which fell two days after SVB, in the afternoon. Those assets began steadily losing value when the central bank raised interest rates at a rapid pace last year. As the bank stumbled, it became clear that virtually all — 97%, according to data from Wedbush Securities — of SVB’s deposits were uninsured. There are indications the Fed, SVB’s primary regulator, warned the bank as early as 2019 about its insufficient risk-management systems, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

☆ Analysis: Heroes or villains: Short sellers' role in the U.S. bank crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( Lawrence Delevingne | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

How much short sellers contributed to the downward spiral reprises the debate about whether so-called shorts are market watchdogs or opportunistic investors who profit from others’ misery. In the case of the banking crisis, a review of data and interviews with short sellers and their critics show, the answer may be both. Some high profile short sellers were later celebrated as making prophetic calls about the U.S. housing market. Even so, interviews and public postings show at least some short sellers had placed bets against regional banks well before the crisis hit. SHORT POSITIONSSuch early short sellers, however, were in the small minority.

☆ Who's afraid of Wells Fargo?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Allison Morrow | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

New York CNN —Wells Fargo reached a $3.7 billion deal with regulators over the bank’s “widespread mismanagement” that allegedly hit more than 16 million consumer accounts. KEY CONTEXTSadly, all of this echoes earlier reports about Wells Fargo’s practices that have emerged since 2016, when its fake-accounts scandal made national headlines, my colleague Matt Egan writes. Wells Fargo workers ended up creating millions of bank accounts for customers without their knowledge. Chopra described Wells Fargo as a “repeat offender” and a “corporate recidivist,” adding that Tuesday’s fine is just an initial step toward holding the bank accountable. The web of scandals at Wells Fargo is massive, and after six years of fallout, a lot of folks aren’t convinced the bank can save itself.

☆ Op-ed: FTX crash shows cryptocurrency market needs bank-like regulation
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Rob Nichols | Dennis Kelleher | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Instead, many crypto-asset customers had accounts at nonbank crypto firms. This is very similar to what happened at nonbank financial firms during the 2008 financial crash and would have happened when the 2020 pandemic hit if the Fed had not acted so quickly. Finally, this principle doesn't mean that a company has to be a bank to offer financial products or services. Innovation in the financial sector is critical to maximizing benefits for consumers, and fair, properly and consistently regulated competition can drive this process forward. But consumers also expect that the rules that govern providers — whether bank or nonbank — protect them and financial stability.

☆ FTX crash shares eerie similarities with Bernie Madoff, ex-regulator Sheila Bair says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Sheila Bair, a top regulator during the 2008 financial crisis, told CNN there are eerie similarities between the dramatic rise and fall of Bankman-Fried and FTX and that of infamous Ponzi scheme mastermind Bernie Madoff. Bair notes that 30-year-old Bankman-Fried, like Madoff, proved adept at using his pedigree and connections to seduce sophisticated investors and regulators into missing “red flags” hiding in plain sight. Up until the bankruptcy filing, FTX even had an application pending with federal regulators to clear derivatives, The Wall Street Journal reported. FTX’s bankruptcy filing indicates it had liabilities of $10 billion to $50 billion at the time of the filing. — If you are an FTX customer and want to discuss how you have been impacted by the bankruptcy, please reach out to Matt.Egan@CNN.com

☆ Family offices have become a $6 trillion powerhouse in investing—and deal-making
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-11 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Family offices now manage more than $6 trillion in wealth, according to some estimates, surpassing the estimated $4 trillion managed by hedge funds. Many billionaire hedge fund managers, seeking lighter regulation or freedom from benchmarks and outside investor demands, are also converting to family offices. Singapore recently created a Family Office Development Team to lead and coordinate initiatives that will attract more family offices. The Wealth Management Institute has launched the Global-Asia Family Office Circle in Singapore to attract more family offices. Even family offices that serve more than one family often receive an exemption from the SEC to keep their filings confidential.

Persons: Andrew Cohen, John Paulson, Leon Cooperman, That's, Exchange Sara Hamilton, Cohen, John D, Rockefeller, J.P, Morgan, Goldman Sachs, " Cohen, Morgan Stanley, Daniel DiBiasio, We've, Michael Dell's, Goldman, Gregg Lemkau, West, Byron Trott, Sara Hamilton, Nicky, Jonathan Oppenheimer, Sergey Brin, James Dyson, Bill Hwang, Alexandria Ocasio, Dennis Kelleher, Kelleher, Archegos, Hamilton Organizations: Street, Morgan Private Bank, Forbes, Federal Reserve, Campden, Family, Exchange, JPMorgan, Bank of America, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, UBS, Deutsche Bank, Morgan Stanley Family, MSD Partners, Container Technologies, BDT Capital Partners, Wealth Management Institute, Google, SEC, Archegos Capital Management, Rep, Better Locations: Asia, U.S, Wall, West Monroe, Singapore, Alexandria, Cortez, Archegos

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