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U.S. Agencies Approve Final Volcker Rule, Detailing Prohibitions and Compliance Regimes Applicable to Banking Entities Worldwide - PDF
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1 U.S. Agencies Approve Final, Detailing Prohibitions and Compliance Regimes Applicable to Banking Entities Worldwide EXECUTIVE SUMMARY On December 10, 2013, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the Federal Reserve ), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (the OCC ), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC ) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the CFTC and, together, the Agencies ) approved a final rule (the Final Rule ) implementing Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act ), commonly referred to as the. The one of the centerpieces of the Dodd-Frank Act imposes broad prohibitions and restrictions on proprietary trading and investing in or sponsoring hedge funds or private equity funds by banking organizations and their affiliates. As originally released (prior to publication in the Federal Register), the Final Rule and the detailed Supplementary Information, which is critical to understanding and interpreting the Final Rule, were more than 950 pages in total and included more than 2,800 footnotes. In general, although many of the most unclear or troublesome provisions of the Agencies proposed rule (the Proposed Rule ) have been addressed, there remain numerous interpretive issues and implementation challenges. The Final Rule is a sweeping regulation, with broad extraterritorial application, that will fundamentally shape how banking organizations do business. Although the was principally directed at restricting the activities of certain large banking organizations, its restrictions apply to all banking organizations regardless of size, with limited accommodations for smaller banking organizations in the form of a simplified compliance program. Many of the Final Rule s effects may New York Washington, D.C. Los Angeles Palo Alto London Paris Frankfurt Tokyo Hong Kong Beijing Melbourne Sydney
2 become apparent only over several years as the Agencies exercise their substantial discretion to interpret and administer the in practice. In connection with the Final Rule, the Federal Reserve exercised its independent authority to grant a blanket one-year extension of the conformance period for all banking organizations. As a result, banking organizations will have until July 21, 2015 to comply fully with most requirements of the Final Rule. An important exception applies for banking organizations with significant trading activities, which will be required to report quantitative metrics on their trading activities beginning as soon as July The extension order also requires banking organizations to use good faith efforts during the conformance period to conform to the Final Rule (and promptly terminate or divest any stand-alone proprietary trading operations). This memorandum summarizes the requirements of the Final Rule and the related guidance in the Supplementary Information. 1 1 Please see our Memorandum to Clients, dated December 13, 2013, Agencies Approve Long-Awaited Final Rule; Most Requirements to Take Effect on July 21, 2015, for an initial overview of certain key requirements of the Final Rule and comparisons to the corresponding provisions of the Proposed Rule.
3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Background A. History of Rulemaking B. Statutory Effective Dates and Past Guidance on Conformance Coverage of the and Regulatory Coordination A. Coverage of the B. Thresholds for Compliance Programs and Reporting... 9 Fig. 2.B: Criteria for Compliance Programs B.1. Measurement of Trading Assets and Liabilities C. Key Compliance Dates and Further Extensions of the Conformance Period Fig. 2.C: Certain Key Compliance and Application Dates D. Conduct During the Conformance Period E. Regulatory Authority and Coordination Proprietary Trading Prohibition and Key Definitions A. Financial Instruments Subject to the Proprietary Trading Restrictions A.1. The Definition of Loan under the B. Transactions Subject to the Proprietary Trading Restrictions C. Activities Excluded from the Definition of Proprietary Trading C.1. The Liquidity Management Exclusion and Asset Liability Management Activities under the D. Definition of Trading Desk Permitted Proprietary Trading Activities A. Underwriting Activities Selected Guidance on the Underwriting Activity Exemption B. Market Making-Related Activities Selected Guidance on the Market Making-Related Activity Exemption C. Risk-Mitigating Hedging Activities Selected Guidance on the Risk-Mitigating Hedging Activity Exemption C.1. Market Making-Related Hedging D. Trading in Domestic Government Obligations E. Trading in Foreign Government Obligations F. Trading on Behalf of Customers G. Trading by a Regulated Insurance Company H. Trading Activities of Foreign Banking Entities i-
4 5. Covered Fund Activities and Investments Prohibition and Key Definitions A. Definition of Covered Fund A.1. Commodity Pools Included in the Definition of Covered Fund Fig. 5.A.1: Comparison of Exempt Pool Requirements and Alternative Definition of Similar Pool B. Entities Excluded from the Definition of Covered Fund B.1. The Exclusion for Loan Securitizations B.2. Entities Expressly Not Excluded and Potential Alternatives Selected Guidance on Entities Expressly Not Excluded C. Definition of Ownership Interest C.1 Agency Relief for Certain TruPS-Backed CDOs D. Definition of Sponsor Guidance on Application of the Definition of Sponsor to Trustees Permitted Organizing and Offering of a Covered Fund A. General Requirements for Organizing and Offering B. Limitations on, and Capital Deduction for, Permitted Investments in Covered Funds Fig. 6.B.1: Calculation of Ownership Limits and Capital Deduction Fig. 6.B.2: Calculation of Per-Fund Attributed Interests and Total Attributed Interests Fig. 6.B.3: Calculation of Notional Tier 1 Capital for Aggregate Funds Limitation C. Organizing and Offering an Issuer of Asset-Backed Securities Other Permitted Covered Fund Activities and Investments A. Underwriting and Market Making with Respect to Covered Funds B. Risk-Mitigating Hedging Activities with Respect to Covered Funds C. Activities Conducted Solely Outside the United States C.1. Comparison of Selected Covered Fund Restrictions on Domestic and Foreign Banking Entities Fig. 7.C.1: Selected Covered Fund Restrictions on Domestic and Foreign Banking Entities D. Covered Fund Interests and Activities by a Regulated Insurance Company Super 23A Limitations on Relationships with Certain Covered Funds A. Prohibition on Covered Transactions with Certain Covered Funds B. Applicability of Section 23B of the Federal Reserve Act ii-
5 9. Limitations on Permitted Activities (Prudential Backstops) A. Material Conflicts of Interest Guidance on Effective Disclosures of Conflicts of Interest B. High-Risk Assets and High-Risk Trading Strategies Additional Discussion of Compliance Program and Certification Requirements A. Comparison of Required Compliance Programs B. Compliance Requirements Specific to Certain Permitted Proprietary Trading Activities Fig. 10.B.1: Exemption-Specific Compliance Requirements for Proprietary Trading C. Compliance Requirements Specific to Documentation of Certain Covered Fund Activities D. Board, CEO and Senior Management Accountability Annex Selected Requirements of Standard and Enhanced Compliance Programs under the Final Rule -iii-
7 1. BACKGROUND The Dodd-Frank Act, enacted on July 21, 2010, added a new Section 13 to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (the BHC Act ). 2 Section 13 commonly referred to as the Volcker Rule prohibits a banking entity from: (1) engaging in proprietary trading ; or (2) engaging in the following activities with respect to a hedge fund or a private equity fund : acquiring or retaining any equity, partnership or other ownership interest in the fund; sponsoring (that is, controlling) the fund; or engaging in a wide range of covered transactions with the fund if the banking entity or any affiliate is an investment adviser or sponsor to the fund. 3 The prohibitions are subject to certain exemptions for permitted activities. As discussed in Part 2.A of this Memorandum, the has sweeping worldwide application in large part because of the broad definition of banking entity, which generally includes any insured depository institution, any depository institution holding company, any foreign company subject to the International Banking Act of 1978 (the IBA ) and any affiliate of any of the foregoing. Since the was enacted, intense interest has been focused not only on what it will ultimately require, but also on when its requirements will be effective and what transition periods will be available for compliance. All the Agencies are charged with adopting rules to carry out the statutory requirements, a process that began with the Proposed Rule 4 and has now culminated in the release of the Final Rule. 5 Section 13 gave the Federal Reserve sole The BHC Act is codified at 12 U.S.C et seq., and Section 13 is codified at 12 U.S.C References in this Memorandum to Section 13 are to Section 13 of the BHC Act. This last restriction is referred to as Super 23A and is discussed in Part 8 of this Memorandum. OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC and SEC, Prohibitions and Restrictions on Proprietary Trading and Certain Interests in, and Relationships with, Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds; Proposed Rule, 76 Fed. Reg (Nov. 7, 2011); CFTC, Prohibitions and Restrictions on Proprietary Trading and Certain Interests in, and Relationships with, Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds, 77 Fed. Reg (Feb. 14, 2012). The CFTC s proposed rulemaking was substantially similar to the other Agencies. References and citations in this Memorandum to the Proposed Rule are to the common rule text issued by the Agencies other than the CFTC. OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC and SEC, Prohibitions and Restrictions on Proprietary Trading and Certain Interests in, and Relationships with, Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds, Fed. -1-
8 authority to grant extensions of the statutory conformance period, which the Federal Reserve exercised in issuing an extension order (the Conformance Period Order ) in connection with the release of the Final Rule. 6 1.A. History of Rulemaking Section 13 directed the Financial Stability Oversight Council (the FSOC ) to conduct a study, to be issued no later than six months after enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, with recommendations on how to implement the so as to promote and enhance the safety and soundness of banking entities, protect taxpayers and consumers and enhance financial stability, appropriately accommodate the business of insurance within an insurance company and appropriately time the divestiture of illiquid assets, among o ther things. 7 On January 18, 2011, the FSOC released its study of the (the FSOC Study ). 8 The FSOC Study recognized that the purpose of the s exemptions for permitted activities was to ensure that the economy and consumers continue to benefit from robust and liquid capital markets and financial intermediation, 9 a point that many commenters echoed throughout the rulemaking process. Reg. ( ); CFTC, Prohibitions and Restrictions on Proprietary Trading and Certain Interests in, and Relationships with, Hedge Funds and Private Equity Funds, Fed. Reg. ( ). All five Agencies adopted the same text of the rule itself. The Agencies other than the CFTC issued one Supplementary Information document (that is, associated commentary explaining and interpreting the rule) and the CFTC issued a second Supplementary Information document. The CFTC s Supplementary Information is largely similar to the other Agencies, but contains some additional discussion of the CFTC s jurisdiction over swap dealing activities. References and citations in this Memorandum to the Final Rule and the Supplementary Information are to the common rule text and the Supplementary Information issued by the Agencies other than the CFTC, respectively. The Supplementary Information, which as of the preparation of this Memorandum had not yet been published in the Federal Register, has circulated in multiple versions with slightly different paginations. Citations in this Memorandum are to a version that has been archived at Federal Reserve, Order Approving Extension of Conformance Period (Dec. 10, 2013). BHC Act 13(b)(1). FSOC, Study & Recommendations on Prohibitions on Proprietary Trading & Certain Relationships with Hedge Funds & Private Equity Funds (Jan. 2011). Id. at
9 On the other hand, the FSOC Study also advanced two key precepts that have fundamentally shaped the proprietary trading restrictions under the. The first was a strong concern that prohibited trading activities were pervasively embedded in, and could be disguised by, permitted activities such as market making. Thus, although major banking entities [had already] taken or announced steps to sell, spin off, or close down their standalone bright line proprietary trading businesses, the FSOC Study expressed skepticism that this would produce compliance, and counseled remaining vigilant... for any reemergence of these operations in other forms. 10 Second, the FSOC Study concluded that discriminating between prohibited trading and permitted activities is not readily achievable using current risk management frameworks and recommended that the require an extraordinary array of new policies and procedures, reporting and recordkeeping requirements, internal controls, independent testing and quantitative metrics. 11 The influence of these two precepts is evident in the Final Rule, which requires a comprehensive compliance program that is primarily oriented not simply toward eliminating prohibited lines of business, but toward identifying a subset of prohibited activities that are in some cases extremely difficult to distinguish from permitted activities. 12 The FSOC Study s discussion of covered funds was less extensive, but endorsed the goals of preventing banking entities from making investments that are completely divorced from serving the needs of their customers and from having incentives or opportunities to inappropriately provide support to investors in such funds or otherwise transfer the government subsidy inherent in the federal safety net for banks to speculative proprietary investments Id. at 17, 27. Id. at 31-46, The FSOC Study also recommended requiring a public CEO attestation as to the ongoing effectiveness of the internal compliance regime. Id. at 36. This requirement was not included in the Proposed Rule, but is included in the Final Rule. See Part 10 of this Memorandum. This approach has not been free from controversy, even within the Agencies. See, e.g., SEC Commissioner Daniel M. Gallagher, Dissenting Statement Regarding Adoption of Rule Implementing the (Dec. 10, 2013) ( What we face [in the Final Rule], therefore, is the prospect of banning the market-making practices so central to our capital markets in order to make sure we capture every last activity that could potentially be characterized as prop trading. One could say, in fact, that to ensure that the final 1% of potentially proprietary trading be hunted down and eliminated, the agencies are willing to place at risk 99% of all market-making activities. ). FSOC Study at 56. The FSOC Study did suggest that the Agencies carefully evaluate the range of funds and other legal vehicles that rely on exclusions contained in section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) [of the 1940 Act] and consider whether it is appropriate to narrow [this] statutory definition by rule in some cases, referring to the Agencies exemptive authority under BHC Act 13(d)(1)(J). FSOC Study at 62. This suggestion was generally not implemented in the Proposed Rule, but is implemented in the Final Rule to a much greater extent. See Part 5.B of this Memorandum. -3-
10 Under Section 13, the Agencies were then required to consider the findings of the FSOC Study and adopt rules within nine months after the FSOC Study. 14 On October 11, 2011, the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC and SEC issued the Proposed Rule. The CFTC issued a substantially similar notice of proposed rulemaking in January The Proposed Rule and the related Supplementary Information were nearly 300 pages as initially released and posed hundreds of questions to commenters. Public comments on the Proposed Rule were due on February 13, The Agencies received over 18,000 comments, including more than 600 unique comment letters. 15 On December 10, 2013, the Agencies issued the Final Rule. In doing so, the Agencies did not conduct a formal costs and benefits analysis, which the Agencies concluded is not legally required because the Final Rule is promulgated under the BHC Act (which generally does not require such an analysis) B. Statutory Effective Dates and Past Guidance on Conformance Section 13 provides that the shall take effect on the earlier of July 21, 2012 and one year after issuance of the Final Rule. 17 Consequently, the has been effective since July 21, With respect to compliance with its requirements, Section 13 provides: [A] banking entity... shall bring its activities and investments into compliance with the requirements of [Section 13] not later than 2 years after the date on which the requirements become effective [i.e., by July 21, 2014].... The [Federal Reserve] may, by rule or order, extend this twoyear period for not more than one year at a time, if, in the judgment of the [Federal Reserve], such an extension is consistent with the purposes of [Section 13] and would not be detrimental to the public interest. The Section 13 also directs the Agencies to apply capital requirements and additional quantitative limits sometimes referred to as Volcker Lite for any proprietary trading or covered fund activities of nonbank financial companies supervised by the Federal Reserve under the Dodd- Frank Act. BHC Act 13(a)(2), 13(f)(4). These provisions would be relevant, as the Agencies point out, only to the extent that such a nonbank financial company is both engaged in activities covered by the and not already affiliated with an insured depository institution (which confers banking entity status, as discussed in Part 2.A of this Memorandum). Supp. Info. 1. The provisions could become more relevant in the future, however, if additional nonbank financial companies were designated or if an existing designated nonbank financial company were to de-bank. Supp. Info. 4. See id. at 11 & n. 35. BHC Act 13(c)(1). -4-
11 extensions made by the [Federal Reserve] under the preceding sentence may not exceed an aggregate of 3 years. 18 Section 13 also provides for a five-year additional extension of the conformance period for a limited group of illiquid funds. 19 On February 9, 2011, the Federal Reserve released a final rule (the Conformance Rule ) with respect to the two-year conformance period and applications for additional extensions, including the required timing and content of such applications and the criteria that would be used to evaluate them. 20 The Conformance Rule did not address practical expectations with respect to banking entities conduct during the conformance period. On April 19, 2012, as no final regulations appeared to be on the horizon before the July effective date, the Federal Reserve issued guidance on the conformance period. This guidance stated that banking entities were expected to engage in good-faith planning efforts, appropriate for their activities and investments, to enable them to conform their activities and investments to the requirements of [Section 13] and the final implementing rules by no later than the end of the conformance period, that is, July 21, As discussed in Part 2 of this Memorandum, the Federal Reserve s Conformance Period Order generally extended the deadline for conforming activities and investments to July 21, Id. 13(c)(2). Id. 13(c)(3). Federal Reserve, Conformance Period for Entities Engaged in Prohibited Proprietary Trading or Private Equity Fund or Hedge Fund Activities, 76 Fed. Reg (Feb. 14, 2011). By supplying restrictive definitions, the Federal Reserve s conformance period rule also considerably narrowed the potential five-year extension for illiquid funds. See our Memorandum to Clients, dated February 11, 2011, Federal Reserve Adopts Final Rule Implementing Conformance Periods ; see also Part 2.C of this Memorandum. Federal Reserve, Statement of Policy Regarding the Conformance Period for Entities Engaged in Prohibited Proprietary Trading or Private Equity Fund or Hedge Fund Activities, 77 Fed. Reg (June 8, 2012). See our Memorandum to Clients, dated April 20, 2012, Federal Reserve Issues Statement of Policy Clarifying the Conformance Period under the. -5-
12 2. COVERAGE OF THE VOLCKER RULE AND REGULATORY COORDINATION The starting point of any firm s analysis will be whether it is subject to the and, if so, when it must be in compliance with the Final Rule s requirements. The question of timing is particularly relevant now that the Final Rule has been released. Although the Federal Reserve has extended the general conformance period to July 21, 2015, some requirements are effective earlier, and the amount of compliance and reporting that will ultimately be required will vary significantly across banking entities. Banking entities should seek to understand the categories into which they fall as soon as possible. In addition, the Final Rule has been adopted by each of the five Agencies, and each of the five Agencies has authority to administer and enforce the Final Rule with respect to different types of banking entities. A banking entity and its affiliates may together be under the jurisdiction of multiple Agencies. The Final Rule contains no mechanism for banking entities to seek coordinated guidance from the Agencies on interpretive or implementation matters. It remains to be seen how regulatory coordination on these critical issues will be achieved. 2.A. Coverage of the The applies to any banking entity. Consistent with the statutory definition, 22 the Final Rule defines banking entity to mean: (1) any insured depository institution, meaning any bank or savings association the deposits of which are insured by the FDIC pursuant to the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (the FDIA ); See BHC Act 13(h)(1). Specifically: Insured depository institution has the same meaning as in section 3(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act... but does not include an insured depository institution that is described in section 2(c)(2)(D) of the BHC Act. Final Rule _.2(r). BHC Act 2(c)(2)(D) describes certain institution[s] that function[] solely in a trust or fiduciary capacity, which may have FDIC-insured deposits, but are not treated as insured depository institutions for purposes of the. FDIA 3(c)(2) provides that [t]he term insured depository institution means any bank or savings association the deposits of which are insured by the [FDIC] pursuant to this Act. FDIA 3(c)(3) provides that [t]he term insured depository institution includes any uninsured branch or agency of a foreign bank or a commercial lending company owned or controlled by a foreign bank for purposes of section 8 of this Act (emphasis added). Section 8 of the FDIA specifically concerns enforcement powers of the federal banking agencies to bring cease-and-desist proceedings for unsafe or unsound practices or violations of law, among other things. Thus, insured depository -6-
13 (2) any company that controls an insured depository institution, such as a bank holding company or a savings and loan holding company; (3) any company that is treated as a bank holding company for purposes of Section 8 of the IBA (generally a foreign bank that has a U.S. branch or agency); 24 and (4) any affiliate or subsidiary of the foregoing, except that the following are excluded if they are not separately captured under clauses (1) (3): a covered fund ; a portfolio company held under BHC Act authority for merchant banking investments or investments by an insurance company; 25 and a portfolio concern controlled by a small business investment company (an SBIC ). 26 Banking entity also excludes the FDIC in its corporate capacity or as conservator or receiver under the FDIA or Title II of the Dodd-Frank Act. 27 institution does not generally include uninsured U.S. branches or agencies of a foreign bank. Such branches and agencies will nonetheless generally be banking entities for purposes of the because of their affiliation with a foreign bank that is treated as a bank holding company for purposes of IBA This prong of the definition will generally capture a foreign bank that has a U.S. branch or agency. IBA 8(a) provides that, [e]xcept as otherwise provided in this section (1) any foreign bank that maintains a branch or agency in a State [i.e., any State of the United States or the District of Columbia], (2) any foreign bank or foreign company controlling a foreign bank that controls a commercial lending company organized under State law, and (3) any company of which any foreign bank or company referred to in (1) and (2) is a subsidiary shall be subject to the provisions of the [BHC Act], and to sections 105 and 106 of the Bank Holding Company Act Amendments of 1970 in the same manner and to the same extent that bank holding companies are subject to such provisions. BHC Act 4(k) describes the authority of financial holding companies to engage in activities that are not banking but are financial in nature. Subject to several conditions, this authority may extend to holding an ownership interest as part of a bona fide underwriting or merchant or investment banking activity in a company that engages in activities that are impermissible for the financial holding company itself (e.g., industrial businesses). Id. 4(k)(4)(H); see also Subpart J of the Federal Reserve s Regulation Y. The authority may also extend to holding an ownership interest in such a company by an insurance company. BHC Act 4(k)(4)(I). Specifically: any portfolio concern, as defined under 13 CFR , that is controlled by a small business investment company, as defined in section 103(3) of the Small Business Investment Act of Final Rule _.2(c)(2)(ii). This exclusion prevents certain small businesses that may receive financial or managerial assistance from a banking entity from becoming subject to the. -7-
14 The Final Rule defines the terms affiliate and subsidiary to have the same meanings as under Section 2 of the BHC Act. 28 Accordingly, banking entity status under the may result from being controlled by, or under common control with, another banking entity under BHC Act principles. BHC Act control determinations can be fact-intensive especially with respect to the controlling influence prong of the relevant definitions and control may exist at relatively low ownership levels. Covered funds are excluded from the definition of banking entity even though they may be affiliated with banking entities. As discussed in Part 5 of this Memorandum, covered funds are those with respect to which a banking entity s ownership, sponsorship or ot her relationships are specifically restricted by the. If a covered fund were also a banking entity, it would itself become subject to the s restrictions. For example, a banking entity might permissibly own a small interest in a hedge fund that it sponsors and is deemed to control under BHC Act principles. If that hedge fund were a banking entity, it would not be allowed to engage in proprietary trading. The limits the banking entity s investment in the hedge fund, but is not necessarily intended to prevent the hedge fund itself from engaging in proprietary trading. Hence, covered funds are excluded from the definition of banking entity. Some funds, however, are not covered funds, and these funds would be banking entities if they are deemed to be affiliated with banking entities. Similarly, like covered funds, companies in which a banking entity invests under merchant banking authority are generally not intended to be subject to the. These companies are recognized to be different from banking entities, and banking entities investments in them are already highly regulated. Certain of the covered fund provisions of the, however, may affect how banking entities structure merchant banking investments Id. _.2(c). Id. _.2(a), _.2(dd). Under the BHC Act, the term affiliate means any company that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with another company, and [a]ny company has control over a bank or over any company if (A) the company directly or indirectly or acting through one or more other persons owns, controls, or has power to vote 25 per centum or more of any class of voting securities of the bank or company; (B) the company controls in any manner the election of a majority of the directors or trustees of the bank or company; or (C) the [Federal Reserve] determines, after notice and opportunity for hearing, that the company directly or indirectly exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of the bank or company. BHC Act 2(k), 2(a)(2). Subsidiary has a similar definition: Subsidiary, with respect to a specified bank holding company, means (1) any company 25 per centum or more of whose voting shares (excluding shares owned by the United States or by any company wholly owned by the United States) is directly or indirectly owned or controlled by such bank holding company, or is held by it with power to vote; (2) any company the election of a majority of whose directors is controlled in any manner by such bank holding company; or (3) any company with respect to the management of policies of which such bank holding company has the power, directly or indirectly, to exercise a controlling influence, as determined by the [Federal Reserve], after notice and opportunity for hearing. BHC Act 2(d). 29 See Part 5.B of this Memorandum. -8-
15 2.B. Thresholds for Compliance Programs and Reporting If a banking entity is subject to the, then it is, in general, subject to all the requirements of the with respect to prohibited and permitted activities. The policies and procedures, recordkeeping, internal controls and other compliance requirements that are necessary, however, vary significantly depending on the size of the banking entity and its level of trading activities. The compliance category into which a banking entity falls will, to a large extent, determine the compliance infrastructure that the banking entity must build by July 21, Furthermore, in the case of banking entities with significant trading activities, some reporting requirements are effective before that date. Part 10 of this Memorandum provides a detailed discussion of compliance programs under the. Broadly speaking, a banking entity may be subject to compliance at one of five levels: (1) None, for banking entities that engage in no restricted activities. (2) Light, for smaller banking entities, which requires only that such banking entities include in their existing compliance policies and procedures appropriate references to the requirements of the. (3) Standard, for banking entities that engage in restricted activities and do not fall into any of the other categories, which requires that such banking entities implement and maintain a compliance program that meets several minimum requirements summarized in the Annex to this Memorandum. (4) Enhanced, for larger banking entities and banking entities with significant trading activities, which adds to the Standard program additional and more detailed policies and procedures, internal controls, independent testing and other requirements, as well as an annual CEO certification requirement. (5) Enhanced Plus Metrics, for banking entities with significant trading activities, which adds to the Enhanced program the calculation and reporting of quantitative trading metrics. The following table summarizes the applicable criteria for these compliance programs and the dates on which the corresponding compliance requirements will become effective. -9-
16 Fig. 2.B: Criteria for Compliance Programs Compliance Program Criteria for This Level Effective Dates None Light Standard Enhanced (Includes CEO Certification) No proprietary trading (other than permitted trading in U.S. government obligations) or covered fund activities or investments. Total consolidated assets of $10 billion or less as reported on December 31 of the previous two calendar years. Not qualifying for any other level and not currently required to report quantitative trading metrics. (1) For a U.S. banking entity: total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more as of the previous calendar yearend; For a foreign banking entity: total U.S. assets of $50 billion or more as of the previous calendar yearend, including all subsidiaries, affiliates, branches and agencies of the foreign banking entity operating, located or organized in the United States ; (2) Currently required to report quantitative trading metrics (this is an independent trigger for the Enhanced compliance program for banking entities that do not meet the total consolidated assets threshold); or N/A July 21, 2015 July 21, 2015 July 21, 2015 Later of July 21, 2015 and becoming subject to reporting of metrics (3) Notified by the relevant Agency. Later of July 21, 2015 and being notified Enhanced (Includes CEO Certification) Plus Metrics (1) For a U.S. banking entity: total trading assets and liabilities, together with affiliates and subsidiaries, but excluding trading assets and liabilities involving obligations of or guaranteed by the United States or any agency of the United States, the average gross sum of which (on a worldwide consolidated basis) over the previous consecutive four quarters, as measured as of the last day of each of the four prior calendar quarters, equals or exceeds $10 billion; For a foreign banking entity: trading assets and liabilities of the combined U.S. operations of the foreign banking entity (including all subsidiaries, affiliates, branches and agencies of the foreign banking entity operating, located or organized in the United States...), excluding trading assets and liabilities involving obligations of or guaranteed by the United States or any agency of the United States, the average gross sum of which, over the previous consecutive four quarters, as measured as of the last day of each of the four prior calendar quarters, equals or exceeds $10 billion; or For the Enhanced program, later of July 21, 2015 and becoming subject to reporting of metrics. For reporting of metrics, based on level of trading assets and liabilities: $50 billion: June 30, 2014 $25 billion: April 30, 2016 $10 billion: December 31, 2016 (2) Notified by the relevant Agency. Later of time noted above and being notified -10-
17 2.B.1. Measurement of Trading Assets and Liabilities As noted in Figure 2.B above, the thresholds for calculating and reporting quantitative trading metrics generally depend on amounts of trading assets and liabilities. 30 The Final Rule uses this phrase, but neither the Final Rule nor the Supplementary Information provides a definition of these assets and liabilities or instructions for how to measure them. Federal Reserve Form FR Y-9C, on which bank holding companies and savings and loan holding companies report their consolidated financial condition, may be instructive because it contains schedules with line items for Trading Assets and Trading Liabilities. 31 In addition, Call Reports of insured depository institutions also include these line items. 32 It See Final Rule _.20(d). Federal Reserve, FR Y-9C Instructions: Line Item Instructions for Consolidated Balance Sheet for Holding Companies: Schedule HC (2013). The instructions for these line items read as follows: Trading assets. Trading activities typically include (a) regularly underwriting or dealing in securities; interest rate, foreign exchange rate, commodity, equity, and credit derivative contracts; other financial instruments; and other assets for resale; (b) acquiring or taking positions in such items principally for the purpose of selling in the near term or otherwise with the intent to resell in order to profit from short-term price movements; or (c) acquiring or taking positions in such items as an accommodation to customers or for other trading purposes. Assets and other financial instruments held for trading shall be consistently valued at fair value.... Pursuant to ASC Topic 825, Financial Instruments... all securities within the scope of ASC Topic 320, Investment Debt and Equity Securities... that a holding company has elected to report at fair value under a fair value option with changes in fair value reported in current earnings should be classified as trading securities.... [H]olding companies may classify [other assets] as trading if the holding company applies fair value accounting, with changes in fair value reported in current earnings, and manages these assets as trading positions, subject to the controls and applicable regulatory guidance related to trading activities.... Do not include in this item the carrying value of any available-for-sale securities, any loans that are held for sale (and are not classified as trading in accordance with the preceding instruction), and any leases that are held for sale.... Trading assets also include derivatives with a positive fair value resulting from the mark ing to market of interest rate, foreign exchange rate, commodity, equity, and credit derivative contracts held for trading purposes as of the report date.... Trading liabilities. Report the amount of liabilities from the reporting holding company s trading activities. Include liabilities resulting from the sales of assets that the reporting holding company does not own (see Glossary entry for short position ) and revaluation losses from marking to market derivative contracts into which the reporting holding company has entered for trading, dealer, customer accommodation, and similar purposes. In addition, for purposes of this report, holding companies may classify liabilities as trading if the holding company applies fair value accounting, with changes in fair value reported in current earnings, and manages these assets as trading positions, subject to the controls and applicable regulatory guidance related to trading activities. See Instructions for Preparation of Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (FFIEC 031 and 041): Schedule RC-D: Trading Assets and Liabilities (Dec. 2011), which also includes similar instructions for the relevant line items. -11-
18 remains to be seen whether the Agencies will provide interpretive guidance on these terms meanings in the context of the Final Rule. Trading assets and liabilities are not the only assets and liabilities potentially restricted by the. Rather, the Final Rule uses trading assets and liabilities as a proxy for the significance of a banking entity s trading activities in determining whether a banking entity must calculate and report quantitative trading metrics. 2.C. Key Compliance Dates and Further Extensions of the Conformance Period In general, no later than July 21, 2015, banking entities must both bring their activities into compliance with the and design and implement the extensive compliance infrastructure required by the Final Rule. As noted in Figure 2.B above, banking entities with trading activities that meet certain specified thresholds will be required to report quantitative metrics on a different schedule beginning between July 2014 and January As discussed in Part 1.B of this Memorandum, the Federal Reserve may grant up to two additional one-year extensions of the conformance period. Under the Federal Reserve s Conformance Rule, applications for such extensions must be made at least 180 days before the expiration of the applicable conformance period (in other words, January 21, 2015 for the second one-year extension of the conformance period to July 21, 2016, and January 21, 2016 for the third one-year extension of the conformance period to July 21, 2017). 33 The factors that the Federal Reserve may consider in evaluating an application for an extension may include, to the extent applicable, the following: (1) whether the activity or investment: involves or results in material conflicts of interest between the banking entity and its clients, customers or counterparties; would result, directly or indirectly, in a material exposure by the banking entity to high-risk assets or high-risk trading strategies; or would pose a threat to the safety and soundness of the banking entity or to the financial stability of the United States; (2) market conditions; (3) the nature of the activity or investment; CFR (c). -12-
19 (4) the date that the banking entity s contractual obligation to make or retain an investment in the fund was incurred and when it expires; (5) the contractual terms of the banking entity s interest in the fund; (6) the degree of control held by the banking entity over investment decisions of the fund; (7) the types of assets held by the fund; (8) with respect to the type of assets held by the fund, whether any assets that were illiquid when first acquired by the fund have become liquid assets, such as, for example, because any statutory, regulatory or contractual restrictions on the offer, sale or transfer of such assets have expired; (9) the date on which the fund is expected to wind up its activities and liquidate or its investments may be redeemed or sold; (10) the total exposure of the banking entity to the activity or investment and the risks that disposing of, or maintaining, the investment or activity may pose to the banking entity or to the financial stability of the United States; (11) the cost to the banking entity of disposing of the activity or investment within the applicable period; (12) whether the divestiture or conformance of the activity or investment would involve or result in a material conflict of interest between the banking entity and unaffiliated clients, customers or counterparties to which it owes a duty; and (13) the banking entity s prior efforts to divest or conform the activity or investments, including, with respect to an illiquid fund, the extent to which the banking entity has made efforts to terminate or obtain a waiver of its contractual obligation to take or retain an equity, partnership or other ownership interest in, or provide additional capital to, the illiquid fund. 34 Many of these factors explicitly contemplate applications for extensions of time to divest or conform investments in private equity or similar funds, which can be expected to be a significant source of such applications, although extensions are not limited to these investments. Banking entities may also apply for an additional five-year extension of the conformance period for illiquid funds, but the Conformance Rule s requirements for this extension may CFR (d). As noted above, our Memorandum to Clients on the Conformance Rule also provides additional information. -13-
20 be prohibitive in many cases. In particular, with respect to an investment in a private equity or similar fund, a banking entity will generally be required to have tried and failed to obtain consent from the fund manager to transfer the investment. 35 Many illiquid investments are illiquid not because fund managers refuse to consent to their transfer, however, but because it can be difficult to find attractive selling opportunities in secondary markets. The following table summarizes certain key compliance and application dates under the Final Rule and the Conformance Rule. Fig. 2.C: Certain Key Compliance and Application Dates Promptly Banking entities must terminate or divest any stand-alone proprietary trading April 1 June 30 This is the effective date of the Final Rule, although there are various transition rules, described below. Banking entities with $50 billion or more of covered trading assets and liabilities become subject to reporting of quantitative metrics. For 2014, these metrics must be reported for each calendar month within 30 days of the end of the month January 21 January 31 July 21 Applications are due for the second of the Federal Reserve s three one-year extensions of the conformance period (i.e., from July 21, 2015 to July 21, 2016). Banking entities with $50 billion or more of covered trading assets and liabilities must begin reporting quantitative metrics within 10 days of the end of the month. The blanket conformance period extension ends, and banking entities are required to have conformed their activities and implemented their compliance programs if they have not received additional extensions January 21 April 30 July 21 December 31 Applications are due for the third of the Federal Reserve s three one-year extensions of the conformance period (i.e., from July 21, 2016 to July 21, 2017). Banking entities with $25 billion or more of covered trading assets and liabilities become subject to reporting of quantitative metrics, which are to be reported quarterly within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter. If sought and obtained, a banking entity s second one-year extension of the conformance period ends. Banking entities with $10 billion or more of covered trading assets and liabilities become subject to reporting of quantitative metrics, which are to be reported quarterly within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter July 21 If sought and obtained, a banking entity s third one-year extension of the Volcker Rule conformance period ends. 35 See 12 CFR (b)(3)(iii)(B). -14-
21 2.D. Conduct During the Conformance Period The Federal Reserve s Conformance Period Order, which extends the conformance period to July 21, 2015, articulates the following expectations for banking entities conduct during the conformance period: During the conformance period, each banking entity is expected to engage in good-faith efforts, appropriate for its activities and investments, that will result in the conformance of all of its activities and investments to the requirements of [the ] by no later than the end of the conformance period. Good faith efforts include evaluating the extent to which the banking entity is engaged in activities and investments that are covered by [the ] as well as developing and implementing a conformance plan that is appropriately specific about how the banking entity will fully conform all of its covered activities and investments by the end of the conformance period. In addition, banking entities that have stand-alone proprietary trading operations are expected to promptly terminate or divest those operations. Moreover, banking entities should not expand activities and make investments during the conformance period with an expectation that additional time to conform those activities or investments will be granted. 36 Practical supervisory expectations for progress on a conformance plan over the next 18 months are not yet known. With respect to the compliance program in particular, the Final Rule explains that each banking entity must establish the compliance program requ ired for that entity... as soon as practicable and in no case later than the end of the conformance period. The Agencies expect that during this period a banking entity will develop and implement the compliance program requirements of the final rule as part of its good-faith efforts to fully conform its activities and investments to the requirements of [the Volcker Rule]. 37 Banking entities with the most significant trading activities (that is, $50 billion dollars or more in covered trading assets and liabilities as measured under the Final Rule) will be required to report quantitative trading metrics before their full compliance programs are required to be in place and before they are required to have fully conformed their activities. 38 This early metrics-reporting period will serve as a trial run after which [t]he Agencies will review the data collected and revise this [metrics] collection requirement as appropriate based on a review of the data collected prior to September 30, 2015 (a time by which no banking entities with less than $50 billion in covered trading assets and liabilities would have had to Conformance Period Order at 3 (footnote omitted). Supp. Info. 775 (footnote omitted). While these banking entities will be required to begin to report and record quantitative measurements by June 30, 2014, they will not be required to implement an enhanced compliance program by this date. Instead... a banking entity must establish a compliance program as soon as practicable and in no event later than the end of the conformance period. Id. at
22 report metrics). 39 operations. It remains to be seen how this ongoing process will affect trading 2.E. Regulatory Authority and Coordination The Final Rule has been adopted by the OCC, Federal Reserve, FDIC, SEC and CFTC. This result comports with the requirement of Section 13 that implementing regulations be issued by: (1) the appropriate Federal banking agencies, 40 jointly, with respect to insured depository institutions; (2) the Federal Reserve, with respect to any company that controls an insured depository institution, or that is treated as a bank holding company for purposes of Section 8 of the IBA, and any subsidiary of any of the foregoing for which no other Agency is the primary financial regulatory agency ; 41 (3) the CFTC, with respect to any entity for which the CFTC is the primary financial regulatory agency ; 42 and Final Rule Appendix A 1. Under the FDIA, the appropriate Federal banking agency is: (i) the OCC with respect to: (a) any national banking association; (b) any Federal branch or agency of a foreign bank; and (c) any Federal savings association; (ii) the FDIC with respect to: (a) any state-chartered FDIC-insured bank that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System; (b) any foreign bank having an FDICinsured branch; and (c) any state-chartered savings association; and (iii) the Federal Reserve with respect to: (a) any state-chartered bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System; (b) any branch or agency of a foreign bank with respect to any provision of the Federal Reserve Act that is made applicable under the IBA; (c) any foreign bank that does not operate an insured branch; (d) any agency or commercial lending company other than a Federal agency; (e) supervisory or regulatory proceedings arising from the authority given to the Federal Reserve under IBA 7(c)(1), including such proceedings under the Financial Institution Supervisory Act of 1966; (f) any bank holding company and any subsidiary (other than a depository institution) of a bank holding company; and (g) any savings and loan holding company and any subsidiary (other than a depository institution) of a savings and loan holding company. FDIA 3(q). More than one Agency may be an appropriate Federal banking agency for a particular banking entity. Id. Primary financial regulatory agency is a definition from the Dodd-Frank Act. An appropriate Federal banking agency of a banking entity is also the banking entity s primary financial regulatory agency, except to the extent that an institution is or the activities of an institution are otherwise described in lists of entities for which the SEC, CFTC, state insurance commissioners or the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the FHFA ) are defined to be the primary financial regulatory agency. Dodd-Frank Act 2(12)(A). The CFTC is the primary financial regulatory agency for, among other things, registered swap dealers, futures commission merchants, commodity pool operators, commodity trading advisors and introducing brokers, in each case, with respect to the activities requiring registration. Id. 2(12)(C). -16-