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Oregon authorizes remote notarizations through July 2021
On June 30, the Oregon governor signed HB 4212A into law, which authorizes remote online notarization through July 2021. Under the new law, a commissioned notary public may use audio-visual technology to perform notarizations, subject to certain requirements, limitations and conditions. The Oregon secretary of state also issued guidance which assists notaries to find technology vendors that meet the requirements of the new law, register for online notarization training, and submit the required notice form.
Oklahoma regulator amends working from home guidance
On June 30, the Oklahoma Department of Consumer Credit extended, for the third time, its interim guidance to regulated entities on working from home (see here, here, and here for previous coverage). The guidance sets forth data security standards that regulated entities must meet in order for the department to take no action with respect to employees conducting activities that would otherwise require licensure of their homes. The revised guidance also provides that the department will expedite and waive fees for change of address applications in the event that a licensed location is compromised by Covid-19 or is undergoing decontamination. The guidance was extended through September 30, 2020.
FHA issues mortgagee letter extending guidance on employment reverification and appraisals
On June 29, the FHA issued Mortgagee Letter 2020-20, which re-extends the effective date of Mortgagee Letter 2020-05, previously covered here and here. The re-extension of appraisal guidance in Mortgagee letter 2020-05 and of re-verification of employment guidance in Mortgagee Letter 2020-05 are effective immediately for cases closed on or before August 31, 2020.
FINRA updates guidance on fingerprinting requirements
FINRA has updated its frequently asked questions guidance regarding relief from certain fingerprinting requirements (previously covered here). The guidance notes that, on June 27, the SEC extended its order providing temporary relief from fingerprinting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act Rule 17f-2 for FINRA members until a date to be specified in a public notice from SEC staff. Because FINRA already provided notification to the SEC in March on behalf of its members, their employees, and associated persons, such individuals may continue to rely on the commissioner’s order and FINRA’s notification. However, for an individual seeking registration pursuant to the submission of a Form U4, a FINRA member firm seeking to rely on temporary exemptive relief for registered persons must comply with FINRA’s guidance with respect to FINRA Rule 1010.
New York Department of Financial Services adopts emergency measure to provide relief to insureds
On June 28, the New York Department of Financial Services adopted an emergency measure that amends the insurance regulations to provide relief to policyholders, contract holders, and insureds who can demonstrate financial hardship relating to the Covid-19 pandemic. Among other things, the emergency measure: (i) provides that premiums remitted by a creditor will be assumed to provide coverage under a credit life or credit unemployment insurance policy for insured debtors whose payments are not more than three months overdue; (ii) provides certain protections for insureds who do not make timely premium payments to certain insurance entities; and (iii) prohibits a premium finance agency from cancelling an insurance policy due to an insured’s failure to make a timely installment payment for a period of at least 90 days, if the insured can demonstrate financial hardship due to Covid-19, and subject to the safety and soundness of the premium finance agency.
Global pharmaceutical company’s current and former subsidiaries settle alleged FCPA violations with DOJ
On June 25, the DOJ announced it had entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with a subsidiary of a Switzerland-based global pharmaceutical company to pay $225 million in criminal penalties related to alleged violations of the FCPA’s anti-bribery and books and records provisions. The DOJ also entered into a separate deferred prosecution agreement with a former subsidiary of the pharmaceutical company (current subsidiary of a multinational eye care company) for approximately $8.9 million in criminal penalties related to alleged violations of the FCPA’s books and records provisions.
According to the DOJ, between 2012 and 2015, the current pharmaceutical subsidiary violated the FCPA by engaging in a scheme to bribe employees of state-owned and state-controlled hospitals and clinics in Greece to increase the sales of its products. Moreover, between 2009 and 2010, the pharmaceutical subsidiary made improper payments, in connection with an epidemiological study, to providers in order to increase sales of certain prescription drugs. The DOJ alleged that the pharmaceutical subsidiary “knowingly and willfully conspired with others to cause [the pharmaceutical parent company] to mischaracterize and falsely record improper payments…in [the parent company]’s books, records, and accounts.” Under the terms of the agreement with the pharmaceutical subsidiary, the subsidiary agreed to cooperate with ongoing investigations, and both the subsidiary and its parent agreed to enhance their compliance programs and report to the DOJ on those improvements.
In the DPA with the former eye care subsidiary, the DOJ alleged that between 2011 and 2014, while still a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical parent company, the former subsidiary “knowingly and willfully conspired with others to cause [the pharmaceutical parent company] to maintain false books, records and accounts, as a result of a scheme to bribe employees of state-owned and state-controlled hospitals and clinics in Vietnam.” The agreement notes that the former eye care subsidiary and its current parent company have since implemented and will continue to implement enhanced FCPA compliance controls and will report to the government on the implementation.
The DOJ recognized that both subsidiaries engaged in remedial measures, including (i) terminating and disciplining individuals involved in the misconduct; (ii) adopting heightened controls and anti-corruption protocols; and (iii) increasing the resources devoted to compliance.
The SEC simultaneously announced a resolution with the pharmaceutical parent company to pay over $112 million in a related matter.
FDIC follows OCC, adopts final rule addressing Madden
On June 25, the FDIC issued a final rule clarifying that whether interest on a loan is permissible under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act is determined at the time the loan is made and is not affected by the sale, assignment, or other transfer of the loan. The FDIC’s final rule effectively reverses the Second Circuit’s 2015 Madden v. Midland Funding decision as applicable to state banks and follows the OCC’s issuance of a similar rule earlier this month for national charters. Specifically, the FDIC’s final rule states that, “[w]hether interest on a loan is permissible under section 27 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act is determined as of the date the loan was made. . . [and] shall not be affected by a change in State law, a change in the relevant commercial paper rate after the loan was made, or the sale, assignment, or other transfer of the loan, in whole or in part.” Additionally, the FDIC rule mirrors the OCC in specifying that the rule does “not address the question of whether a State bank. . .is a real party in interest with respect to a loan or has an economic interest in the loan under state law, e.g. which entity is the ‘true lender.’” Details on the effect of these rules can be found in Buckley’s Special Alert on the OCC’s issuance.
Agencies finalize covered funds changes to Volcker Rule
On June 25, the Federal Reserve Board, CFTC, FDIC, OCC, and SEC (agencies) finalized the rule, which will amend the Volcker Rule to modify and clarify the regulations implementing Section 13 of the Bank Holding Company Act with respect to covered funds. As covered by InfoBytes in February, the agencies issued the proposed rule, and, after the notice and comment period, finalized the proposal with certain modifications based on the public comments. Among other things, the final rule (i) exempts qualifying foreign excluded funds from certain restrictions, but modifies the anti-evasion provision and compliance program requirements from the proposal; (ii) revises the exclusions from the covered fund provisions for foreign public funds, loan securitizations, and small business investment companies; (iii) adopts several new exclusions from the covered fund provisions, including an exclusion for venture capital funds, family wealth management, and customer facilitation vehicles; (iv) permits established, codified categories of limited low-risk transactions between a banking entity and a related fund; (v) provides an express safe harbor for senior loans and senior debt, and redefines “ownership interest”; and (vi) provides clarity regarding permissible investments in the same investments as a covered fund organized or offered by the same banking entity. The final rule is effective October 1.
The FDIC also released a Fact Sheet on the final rule.
Agencies propose updates to Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Flood Insurance
On July 6, the FDIC, OCC, Federal Reserve Board, NCUA, and the Farm Credit Administration published a request for public comments on proposed new questions and answers to be included in the Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Flood Insurance, following changes made to flood insurance regulations under the agencies’ joint rule regarding loans in special flood hazard areas. The proposal updates interagency questions and answers last updated in 2011, and is intended to reduce compliance burdens for lenders related to flood insurance laws. Among the new questions and answers are those related to (i) the “escrow of flood insurance premiums”; (ii) the “detached structure exemption to the mandatory purchase of flood insurance requirement”; and (iii) force-placement of flood insurance procedures. The proposal also revises and reorganizes several existing questions and answers to improve clarity and user functionality. Comments are due September 4.
Additionally, FDIC FIL 67-2020 states that the agencies are currently drafting new Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Flood Insurance related to the 2019 private flood insurance rule (covered by InfoBytes here), which will be proposed at a later date.
Fed releases guidance for de novo banks supervision
On June 24, the Federal Reserve Board sent a letter to the Federal Reserve Banks (FRBs) providing guidance regarding the supervision of de novo state member banks, as well as the evaluation of de novo insured depository institutions (IDI) seeking to become state member banks. Under the letter, an insured depository institution is considered to be in the de novo stage until it has been operating for at least three years. Supervisory Letter SR 20-16, which supersedes Supervisory Letter SR 91-17, “applies to any commercial bank, thrift, Edge Act corporation, or industrial bank that has been in existence for less than three years and is converting to become a state member bank,” and outlines de novo application submission guidelines and FRB examination requirements. SR 20-16 provides that within six months following a de novo’s formation or conversion to a state member bank, the responsible FRB should conduct a targeted examination and issue a report summarizing supervisory findings, with targeted focus on the de novo’s risk management process or the management component of the CAMELS rating, as well as any business and operating plans submitted in connection with its membership application.” SR 20-16 outlines the examination cycle and notes that the full-scope statutorily required examination schedule will not occur until a de novo has had three full-scope examinations and has been in operation for three years. SR 20-16 further provides that, for de novo banks that are subsidiaries of existing bank holding companies, an FRB at its discretion, may elect to make a risk-based determination that if the parent bank has consolidated assets of greater than $3 billion and is in good standing, the subsidiary may be examined less frequently.