AFR join civil rights, consumer, and community groups in lauding the OCC for issuing a strong guidance regarding banks’ selling of charged-off consumer debts to debt buyers. The groups urged the agency to also take the next step and issue strong regulations to ensure that national banks do not continue to facilitate unfair, deceptive, and abusive debt collection practices.
“The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, criticized for missing some high-profile problems such as JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s London Whale losses, will institute a five-year rotation schedule for in-bank examiners, the agency said today in response to a review of its practices by non-U.S. regulators. The regulator also said transfers to the risk-analysis group would reduce the number of on-site examiners.”
“The OCC and FDIC got it right in standing up for borrowers who have been taken advantage of,” said Lisa Donner, AFR’s Executive Director. “Now it’s up to the Federal Reserve to follow the OCC’s and FDIC’s lead with the institutions it regulates.”
AFR wrote to the banking regulators to urge them to strengthen the new supplementary leverage ratio proposed for large U.S. banks.
AFR joined more than 45 organizations in submitting a comment letter to the OCC and the FDIC supporting their proposed guidance on bank payday lending. The letter praises their proposal, and adds some additional steps that we believe would be beneficial to curbing the use of payday loans.
AFR joined more than 15 leaders of public interest groups in releasing a joint statement applauding the FDIC and the OCC for their proposed guidance issued this week directing banks to stop making predatory loans that trap borrowers in a cycle of debt with 300% interest.
Read the letter that AFR signed onto, urging the OCC to withdraw proposed bank payday and overdraft guidance here.
AFR sent a letter to the Federal Reserve and FDIC on the reported transfer of the Merrill Lynch derivatives book to Bank of America’s depository subsidiary, which could expose taxpayers to substantial additional risks.”
Read our comment letter to the OCC here.
Read a letter from the National Association of Attorneys General criticizing the OCC preemption rules here.