CFPB bulletin announces changes to supervisory communications

Agency Rule-Making & Guidance CFPB Supervision Examination

On September 25, the CFPB issued Bulletin 2018-01, which announces changes to how it communicates supervisory expectations to institutions. According to the bulletin, effective immediately, examination reports and supervisory letters will include two categories of findings that convey supervisory expectations: (i) Matters Requiring Attention (MRAs); and (ii) Supervisory Recommendations (SRs). MRAs will continue to be used to outline specific goals for institutions to accomplish in order to correct violations of law, remediate harmed consumers, and address compliance management system (CMS) weaknesses, and will include timeframes for companies to report on its efforts to address MRAs and timeframes for implementation. SRs will be used when the Bureau has not identified violations of law but noted weaknesses in CMS and will contain recommended actions to address weaknesses. The bulletin notes that neither MRAs nor SRs are legally enforceable, but emphasizes the Bureau will consider an institution’s response in addressing the noted concerns when assessing a compliance rating, prioritizing future supervisory work, or assessing the need for an enforcement action.