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☆ Mortgage companies could intensify the next recession, US officials warn
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Unlike traditional banks, nonbank mortgage companies like Rocket Mortgage are heavily exposed to swings in the mortgage market, depend on funding that can dry up during times of stress and don’t have stable deposits to rely on as a safety net. Despite the wonky term, nonbank mortgage companies have become vital players that make most home mortgages in the United States today. As of 2022, nonbank mortgage companies originated about two-thirds of US mortgages and owned the servicing rights on 54% of mortgage balances, according to FSOC. “Nonbank mortgage firms are thinly capitalized, which makes them vulnerable to failure if they lose financing or mortgage defaults spike,” said McCoy, a former mortgage regulator. “Starting in early 2007, we saw a tsunami of nonbank mortgage firms fail precisely for these reasons.”

Persons: Janet Yellen, FSOC, Cooper, ” FSOC, Ginnie Mae, Bob Broeksmit, Patricia McCoy, ”, McCoy Organizations: New, New York CNN, Rocket, Mortgage, Mortgage Bankers Association, ABA, Boston College Law School, “ Locations: New York, United States

☆ EU watchdog cautions against one-size-fits-all rules for non-banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Huw Jones | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 9 (Reuters) - Regulators should keep on open mind when writing rules for the world's $239 trillion "non-bank" financial sector to avoid one-size fits all approaches, the EU's top securities watchdog said. Non-banks, a sector which includes hedge funds, real estate funds, insurers and private investments and now account for about half of the world's financial sector, are firmly in the regulatory limelight. This follows redemption-related stresses among money market funds (MMFs) during a "dash for cash" when economies went into pandemic lockdowns in March 2020, and last year with liability-driven investment (LDI) funds in Britain. European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) chair Verena Ross said regulators are closely examining non-banks' leverage, liquidity and their connectivity with banks. Meanwhile, the BoE has called for tougher liquidity rules for MMFs, but sterling-denominated funds are listed in European Union countries such as Ireland and Luxembourg, where the rules are written by the 27-member bloc.

Persons: Verena Ross, Ross, MMFs, BoE, ESMA, Huw Jones, Alexander Smith Organizations: European Securities and Markets Authority, Reuters, U.S . Federal, The Bank of England, U.S, Financial, Union, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Britain, Ireland, Luxembourg

Both changes to the process for designating a non-bank as a "systemically important financial institution," or SIFI, were proposed in April. Friday's vote reversed a Trump administration policy that regulators should police risky activities rather than single out individual firms. Under the revamped process, FSOC will identify potential SIFIs based on existing information and give the company a chance to respond. Similarly, the Managed Funds Association, which represents hedge funds, said non-banks do not pose the same risks as banks. "The guidance imposes a black box designation process that introduces uncertainty for market participants," said MFA President and CEO Bryan Corbett.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Donald Trump, FSOC, Trump, Janet Yellen, Eric Pan, Bryan Corbett, Barack Obama, Ian Katz, Pete Schroeder, Chris Reese, Michelle Price, Richard Chang Organizations: Wall, REUTERS, WASHINGTON, Treasury Department, U.S . Federal, BlackRock, Bridgewater, Investment Company Institute, Association, MetLife, Inc, General Electric Capital Corporation, American International Group, Prudential Financial, Capital Alpha Partners, Carolina, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, BlackRock, Bridgewater

☆ US senators pressure Treasury to get more aggressive on climate crisis risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the U.S. Treasury building in Washington, U.S., January 20, 2023.? REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Sept 25 (Reuters) - Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders and four other U.S. senators are pressuring the U.S. Treasury Department to step up oversight and offer more guidance to financial institutions on addressing climate change risks threatening the U.S. financial system. The senators called on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and newly appointed climate counselor Ethan Zindler, a climate and clean energy research executive, to do more to protect the U.S. economy from what Yellen has described as the "existential threat" posed by climate change. The senators said they were particularly concerned about nonbank financial institutions, which also played a critical role in the 2008 global financial crisis, and said the FSOC should finalize and immediately implement a new analytic risk framework for climate-related financial risks. They also repeated earlier calls for stronger Internal Revenue Service enforcement of rules on political activity by nonprofit organizations, citing efforts by special interests to fuel climate change denial, and investigations into how such funding could be obstructing more action on the climate crisis.

Persons: Kevin Lamarque, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Warren, Martin Heinrich, Edward Markey, Sheldon Whitehouse, Jeffrey Merkley, Sanders, Janet Yellen, Ethan Zindler, Yellen, Andrea Shalal, Deepa Babington Organizations: Department of, U.S . Treasury, REUTERS, Rights, U.S . Treasury Department, Treasury, Democratic, Reuters, Internal Revenue Service, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, U.S

☆ Sen. Warren calls on Yellen, FSOC to do more to shore up regional banks
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Emily Wilkins | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is sounding alarm bells about the future of regional banks in a new letter Thursday to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and a top advisory group for bank regulators. In the letter to Yellen, obtained exclusively by CNBC, Warren addresses the secretary in her capacity as chair of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, and asks her and the council to investigate several looming threats to banks. "I urge you to take strong action to address the alarming fallout from high interest rates and protect the safety of our financial system," Warren writes. The request follows an August announcement by Moody's that it was downgrading 10 regional banks, and putting another 17 banks either under review or changing their outlooks from stable to negative. The Massachusetts senator has been an outspoken critic of the increases, warning Federal Reserve Chairman Jay Powell and others that higher interest rates will ultimately hurt working Americans, even if they appear to exert downward pressure on inflation.

Persons: Sen, Elizabeth Warren, Janet Yellen, WASHINGTON — Sen, Yellen, Warren, Jay Powell, Wells Organizations: Banking, Housing, Urban Affairs Committee, WASHINGTON, CNBC, Consumer Financial, Biden White, Biden Locations: Washington, Washington , DC, Massachusetts, Wells Fargo, Warren

☆ U.S. financial regulators to tighten rules on non-banks, systemic risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - Top U.S. regulators on Friday proposed new rules to speed the assessment of financial stability risks and make it easier to designate non-bank institutions as systemically important, subjecting them to Federal Reserve supervision. The multi-regulator Financial Stability Oversight Council released the proposals for public comment just over a month after two regional bank failures sparked the biggest financial system contagion threat since the 2008 financial crisis. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has raised concerns about non-bank financial institutions, including hedge funds, because of their lack of supervision and the potential for systemic spillovers from firms in distress. NOT USHedge fund, mutual fund and asset manager trade groups responded by saying that regulators should look elsewhere for threats to financial stability. The new framework also specifies vulnerabilities that FSOC and member regulators would consider when evaluating potential stability risks.

☆ Government watchdogs propose tougher scrutiny of nonbank financial companies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Bryan Mena | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Washington, DC CNN —In response to last month’s turbulence in the banking industry, financial regulators on Friday proposed a more comprehensive approach in identifying and addressing threats to financial stability, including closer scrutiny of nonbank financial companies. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced a new framework proposed by the Financial Stability Oversight Council that outlines the vulnerabilities in the financial system and the tools regulators can use to address those risks. The proposal also reverses guidance issued in 2019 that made it more difficult for nonbank financial companies, such as hedge funds and insurers, to be designated as systemically important institutions. “It is an important preventative tool to address systemic risks that may arise from a nonbank financial firm whose activities or distress could threaten the financial system.”FSOC has the power to designate nonbank financial firms as systemically important institutions if their failures pose a threat to financial stability, which would place those firms under the supervision of the Federal Reserve. Firms would be able to request a hearing if FSOC makes a proposed designation.

☆ U.S. financial regulators to tighten rules on non-bank firms, risk assessment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, April 21 (Reuters) - The Financial Stability Oversight Council on Friday proposed guidance to make it easier to designate non-bank financial institutions for regulatory supervision and new procedures to better identify and respond to financial system risks. U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has raised concerns about non-bank financial institutions, including hedge funds, private equity firms and pension funds as a potential source of financial instability because of a lack of supervision and. The new guidance removes some "inappropriate hurdles" to designating non-bank firms and replaces them with a process that allows for firms under review to have significant engagement with regulators. RISKS, VULNERABILITIESFSOC's proposed new risk assessment framework aims to enhance the council's ability to address financial stability risks by reviewing a broad range of asset classes, institutions and activities, according to a Treasury fact sheet. The new framework also specifies vulnerabilities that FSOC and member regulators would consider when evaluating potential stability risks.

☆ Treasury proposes new process to spot risks after SVB, Signature Bank failures
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

U.S. Secretary of the Treasury testifies before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services March 22, 2023 in Washington, DC. The Financial Stability Oversight Council voted to approve a framework on financial stability for public feedback. "This framework outlines common vulnerabilities and transmission channels through which shocks can propagate through the financial system. Yellen said that in trying to prevent problems in the financial system, the council does not "broadly prioritize one type of tool over another." "Addressing the diverse range of financial vulnerabilities that exist today – and that may arise tomorrow – requires a broad set of flexible tools."

☆ U.S. Treasury says FSOC agreed banking system sound
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Treasury said that the multi-regulator Financial Stability Oversight Council agreed in a meeting on Friday that the U.S. banking system remains "sound and resilient" despite stress on some institutions. In a readout of the closed meeting held by videoconference, the Treasury said that FSOC participants heard a presentation on market developments from the staff of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. "The Council discussed current conditions in the banking sector and noted that while some institutions have come under stress, the U.S. banking system remains sound and resilient," the Treasury said in a statement. Reporting by David Lawder; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. regulators say banking system 'sound and resilient'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - The multi-regulator U.S. Financial Stability Oversight Council agreed on Friday that the U.S. banking system remains "sound and resilient" despite stress on some institutions, the U.S. Treasury said in its latest statement to calm jittery markets and bank depositors. "The Council discussed current conditions in the banking sector and noted that while some institutions have come under stress, the U.S. banking system remains sound and resilient," the Treasury said in a statement. They added that the basis of the Treasury, Fed and FDIC determinations in the SVB and Signature cases "are of particular importance." Those actions to invoke "systemic risk exceptions" were taken by Yellen, President Joe Biden, the FDIC, and the Fed, which supervised Silicon Valley and Signature. Reporting by David Lawder; additional reporting by Pete Schroeder; Editing by Diane Craft and Marguerita ChoyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Yellen chairs closed US Financial Stability Oversight Council meeting
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( David Lawder | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, March 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will chair a closed meeting of the Financial Stability Oversight Council on Friday morning, according to daily media advisory for the department. The Treasury statement provided no further details about the subject of the FSOC meeting, which comes two weeks after regulators closed Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O), whose failure kicked off a bank-run contagion crisis. The body of financial regulators, led by the Treasury and including the heads of the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC), the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory agencies, meets regularly to discuss the state of U.S. financial stability risks and oversight initiatives. Those actions to invoke "systemic risk exceptions" were taken by Yellen, President Joe Biden, the FDIC, and the Fed, which supervised Silicon Valley and Signature. Responding to a Senate hearing question on risks in the non-bank financial sector, Yellen said on Wednesday that the oversight council was working on revised guidance that would restore the body's capacity to designate non-bank financial institutions as systemically important.

Some banking groups have urged the Biden administration and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) to temporarily guarantee all U.S. bank deposits, a move they say will help quell a crisis of confidence after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) and Signature Bank (SBNY.O). "I have not considered or discussed anything having to do with blanket insurance or guarantees of deposits," she said. "The failure of a small bank, of a community bank, could likewise trigger a run on other banks," she said. "To the best of my knowledge, we've never seen deposits flee at the pace that they did from Silicon Valley Bank," Yellen said. Yellen said it was "not obvious" that banks would pass those costs on to bank customers.

☆ U.S. poised to tighten reporting rules on $20 tln private fund sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Douglas Gillison | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

March 17 (Reuters) - Wall Street's top regulator is set to adopt new rules aimed at bolstering oversight of systemic risk in the burgeoning, multitrillion-dollar world of private equity and hedge-funds. As proposed in January 2022, the rule would require reporting of such events to the SEC within one business day. The agency billed the new rule in part as a means of supporting the Financial Stability Oversight Council, a multi-agency risk-monitoring body also created under Dodd-Frank. The proposal offered "scant evidence" that it would enhance FSOC's monitoring for systemic risk, she said in dissenting remarks against the proposal, adding that it would likely become a tool "for government to micromanage private fund risk management." Reporting by Douglas Gillison; Editing by David GregorioOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says U.S. government won't bail out Silicon Valley Bank
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Ashley Capoot | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Janet Yellen, US Treasury secretary, speaks during a Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) meeting at the Treasury Department in Washington, DC, US, on Friday, Dec. 16, 2022. After regulators shuttered Silicon Valley Bank and seized its deposits Friday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Sunday that she has been working "to address the situation in a timely way," but that a major government bailout is not on the table. "This is really a decision for the FDIC, as it decides on what the best course is to resolve this firm," Yellen said. "The problem is this was a liquidity failure, it was a bank run, so they didn't have time to prepare to market the bank," Bair told NBC's "Meet the Press." "The shareholders in the bank are going to lose their money, let's be clear about that.

☆ US senators blast Treasury's failure to move faster on climate risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 9 (Reuters) - Three U.S. senators blasted the Treasury Department on Thursday for its failure to act more swiftly to counter climate risks, and urged Secretary Janet Yellen to appoint a new climate counselor to lead the effort. In a letter to Yellen viewed by Reuters, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse and Edward Markey criticized the work done by John Morton, Yellen's first climate counselor. The second Treasury official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the independent agencies grouped under FSOC were taking action, but those steps followed prescribed processes. No Treasury climate counselor could speed up that work since the agencies were independent, the official said. They asked Yellen to respond to over a dozen questions on Treasury's efforts to mitigate risks to the U.S. economy posed by accelerating climate change.

☆ US senators blast Treasury's 'lack of progress' on climate risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-10 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In a letter to Yellen viewed by Reuters, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren, Sheldon Whitehouse and Edward Markey criticized the work done by John Morton, Yellen's first climate counselor. "Treasury has been central to delivering on the Biden Administration’s climate agenda," she said, when asked about the senators' letter. In their letter, the senators also faulted Treasury's leadership of climate work by the Financial Stability Oversight Council, which identified climate change as an "emerging and increasing threat to U.S. financial stability" in October 2021. The second Treasury official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the independent agencies grouped under FSOC were taking action, but those steps followed prescribed processes. No Treasury climate counselor could speed up that work since the agencies were independent, the official said.

☆ Yellen warns climate change could trigger asset value losses, harming US economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Andrea Shalal | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON, March 6 (Reuters) - Climate change is already having a major economic and financial impact on the United States and may trigger asset value losses in coming years that could cascade through the U.S. financial system, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will warn on Tuesday. "As climate change intensifies, natural disasters and warming temperatures can lead to declines in asset values that could cascade through the financial system. She said severe storms and wildfires in states like California, Florida, and Louisiana, tornadoes across the South and intensifying storms on the West Coast show how climate change is accelerating. Yellen said the new Climate-related Financial Risk Advisory Committee, set up last October by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), would boost U.S. efforts to mitigate the risks that climate change poses to financial stability. That in turn could spill over to other parts of the financial system, she said.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday notified Congress that the U.S. will reach its statutory debt limit next Thursday. Yellen said it is "critical that Congress act in a timely manner to increase or suspend the debt limit." Congress in December 2021 increased the federal debt limit to about $31.4 trillion. This can extend the clock for weeks or months while Congress hashes out a bill to raise the borrowing limit. Yellen added, "Increasing or suspending the debt limit does not authorize new spending commitments or cost taxpayers money.

☆ Senate banking chief urges U.S. Treasury to secure new crypto rules
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Hannah Lang | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] A representation of virtual currency Bitcoin and U.S. One Dollar banknotes are seen in front of a stock graph in this illustration taken January 8, 2021. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio also urged the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), a U.S. regulatory panel comprising top financial regulators, to find ways to enhance crypto asset disclosures and bolster market integrity. FTX filed for bankruptcy on Nov. 11 after traders pulled $6 billion from the platform in three days and rival exchange Binance abandoned a rescue deal, sending shock waves across the crypto market. In that report, regulators identified several gaps in the oversight of cryptocurrencies, including in the crypto spot market for tokens that are not securities. Reporting by Hannah Lang in Washington Editing by Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sen. Sherrod Brown calls on Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to help rein in cryptocurrency firms after FTX collapse
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bahamas-based crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy in the U.S. on Nov. 11, 2022, seeking court protection as it looks for a way to return money to users. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sherrod Brown urged Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Wednesday to work with lawmakers and financial regulators to help write legislation to rein in the cryptocurrency market in the wake of the collapse of crypto exchange FTX. Brown sent the letter the day before Congress holds its first hearing on FTX's collapse. Brown encouraged partnership between Congress, Treasury and the White House, even referencing Treasury's coordination with the President's Working Group on Financial Markets. "Congress and the financial regulators must work to get all of this right.

☆ Biden Officials to Target Nonbanks for Tougher Oversight
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Andrew Ackerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen advocates for the FSOC to use all the powers granted to it by Congress to rein in risks to financial stability. WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is laying the groundwork to target nonbank firms with stricter federal oversight as regulators grow concerned about financial threats from companies operating outside of the tightly supervised banking system. The move from the Financial Stability Oversight Council, a panel of top regulators tasked with monitoring the stability of the financial system, would likely ease or repeal Trump-era restrictions that sought to limit the regulation of nonbanks, according to people familiar with the process.

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