The rule is intended to make the agency's assessment schedule more equitable and to ensure that the fees paid by national banks more accurately reflect the actual costs of supervision. OCC analyses show that the lower rated institutions cost more to supervise than those rated 1 or 2. As a result of other adjustments to the assessment schedule, this change will not increase the OCC's revenue. The rule also removes the annual franchise fee that had been imposed on national banks that are registered as municipal or government securities dealers.
National banks engage in a wide variety of activities.
Rather than impose special fees on specific activities, the OCC has concluded that it is more efficient and simpler for the industry for the OCC to recover its costs by imposing only one fee, the semiannual assessment.