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Bank Regulatory News

March 2006

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March 31, 2006 - NCUA - St. John Baptist FCU Closes - United Financial Services Federal Credit Union to serve St. John Baptist Credit Union Members - The National Credit Union Administration yesterday liquidated St. John Baptist Federal Credit Union, Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and transferred its 180 members' accounts to United Financial Services Federal Credit Union in Scotch Plains. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0331.htm 

March 31, 2006 - OCC Reports Derivatives Volume Tops $100 Trillion - The notional amount of derivatives held by U.S. commercial banks increased by $2.7 trillion in the fourth quarter of 2005, to a record $101.5 trillion, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency reported today in its quarterly Bank Derivatives Report. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=GQAKB1NZ.xml 

March 31, 2006 - FDIC Makes Public February Enforcement Actions - No Administrative Hearing Scheduled - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today released a list of orders of administrative enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in February. No administrative hearing is scheduled for April. www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06034.html 

March 31, 2006 - Report Issued on Improving Financial Privacy Notices for Consumers - Federal regulators today released Evolution of a Prototype Financial Privacy Notice, a report by Kleimann Communication Group summarizing consumer research commissioned by the regulators as part of their ongoing efforts to develop improved financial privacy notices.
Press Release: www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2006/20060331/default.htm 
Press Release: www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06033.html 
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/release/2006-42.htm 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=IE0ALTNO.xml 
Press Release: www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776016.html 
Press Release: www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/JR06-0331.pdf 

March 31, 2006 - Governor Susan Schmidt Bies - An Update on Regulatory Issues - At the Banking Institute, Charlotte, North Carolina.   www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/200603312/default.htm 

March 31, 2006 - Vice Chairman Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. - Financial Regulation: Seeking the Middle Way - At the Institute of International Finance Spring 2006 Membership Meeting, Zurich, Switzerland.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060331/default.htm 

March 30, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday approved action by the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, increasing the discount rate at the Bank from 5-1/2 percent to 5-3/4 percent, effective immediately. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/monetary/2006/20060330/default.htm 
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March 30, 2006 - Retirement account protection increases April 1 - Insurance protection on retirement accounts in federally insured credit unions increases April 1, 2006, to $250,000, while coverage on all other types of share accounts remains $100,000 in compliance with an interim final rule NCUA issued amending insurance protection and implementing changes required by recent Congressional reform.  www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0330-2.htm 

March 30, 2006 - NCUA Extends Application Deadline for Disaster Relief Grants - National Credit Union Administration Chairman JoAnn Johnson announced the extension of the application deadline for the Community Development Revolving Loan Fund's disaster relief grants from March 31, 2006 to September 30, 2006. Qualifying credit unions in areas affected by the Gulf Coast hurricanes may apply for up to $2,500 for assistance in resuming operations. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0330.htm 

March 30, 2006 - Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003 - This bulletin transmits Examination Procedures, including a Worksheet, to test financial institutions for compliance with regulations implementing the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-14.txt 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-14a.pdf 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-14b.pdf 

March 30, 2006 - Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and the Junk Fax Protection Act - This bulletin transmits Examination Procedures, including a Worksheet, to test financial institutions for compliance with regulations implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-15.txt 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-15a.pdf 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-15b.pdf 

March 30, 2006 - OCC Chief Counsel Highlights Need For Improved Consumer Financial Disclosures - Chief Counsel and First Senior Deputy Comptroller Julie L. Williams called for more effective "consumer-oriented disclosures in the financial services business" as a vital part of consumer protection in a speech to the 2006 Banking Institute, today. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=NIH4QPG.xml 

March 30, 2006 - Notice of proposed rulemaking to implement Basel II risk-based capital requirements in the United States for large, internationally active banking organizations.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2006/20060330/default.htm 

March 30, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced the approval of the application of Caja de Ahorros del Mediterráneo, Alicante, Spain, to establish an agency in Miami, Florida. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/200603302/default.htm 

March 30, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced its approval of the proposal by New York Community Bancorp, Inc. and New York Community Newco, Inc., both of Westbury, to acquire Atlantic Bank of New York, New York, all in New York. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060330/default.htm 

March 30, 2006 - NCUA - Hood Shares Strategies for Serving the Underserved at Iowa Summit - NCUA Vice Chairman Rodney Hood told a group of 100 credit union leaders March 28, 2006, in Des Moines attending the Iowa Credit Union Foundation Summit that lifting the rate of home ownership for the underserved has never been more important. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0329.htm 

March 30, 2006 - Bank Secrecy Act - Commercial Bank of Syria - Designation of Primary Money Laundering Concern - The Department of the Treasury has designated Commercial Bank of Syria, including its subsidiary, Syrian Lebanese Commercial Bank, as a financial institution of primary money laundering concern and has issued the attached final rule restricting domestic financial institutions' banking relationships with this entity. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06028.html 

March 29, 2006 - Unauthorized Banking: Current List of OCC Alerts on Unauthorized Banking - This OCC listing (PDF) of unauthorized offshore and domestic banking activities named in OCC alerts from the year 1996 to date is intended to aid in the search for problem entities. www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/alert/2006-16a.pdf 

March 29, 2006 - OCC Focuses on Commercial Lending in Indian Country - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today released a Community Developments Insights report, "Commercial Lending in Indian Country: Potential Opportunities in an Untapped Market," which highlights best practices for banks making commercial loans on tribal trust lands as well as to tribes and tribal enterprises. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=1MN5VYLR.xml 

March 29, 2006 - Incentives and Prices for Motor Vehicles: What Has Been Happening in Recent Years? Carol Corrado, Wendy Dunn, and Maria Otoo - We address the construction of price indexes for consumer vehicles using data collected from a national sample of dealerships. The dataset contains highly disaggregate data on actual sales prices and quantities, along with information on customer cash rebates, financing terms, and much more. www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2006/200609/index.html 

March 29, 2006 - Real-time Model Uncertainty in the United States: The Fed from 1996-2003 Robert J. Tetlow and Brian Ironside 2006-8 - We study 30 vintages of FRB/US, the principal macro model used by the Federal Reserve Board staff for forecasting and policy analysis. To do this, we exploit archives of the model code, coefficients, baseline databases and stochastic shock sets stored after each FOMC meeting from the model's inception in July 1996 until November 2003. www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2006/200608/index.html 

March 29, 2006 - Governor Susan Schmidt Bies - Sound Capital and Risk Management At the OpRisk USA 2006 Conference, New York, New York.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060329/default.htm 

March 28, 2006 - NCUA - The April 2006 NCUA newsletter is available.  www.ncua.gov/news/newsletter/NCUA/06April.pdf 

March 28, 2006 - GAO Report Provides Positive Assessment of OCC Consumer Assistance - Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan said today he was pleased with a report by the Government Accountability Office on the agency's consumer assistance services and said the OCC will implement three recommendations in the report. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=AO53UXEW.xml 

March 28, 2006 - Deposit Insurance Coverage Changes to FDIC Rules for Deposit Insurance Coverage - The FDIC Board of Directors has adopted the attached interim final rules to implement provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005 pertaining to deposit insurance coverage. These rules take effect on April 1, 2006. The attached "Changes in Deposit Insurance Coverage" provides details about the insurance coverage changes implemented by the rules; information about official FDIC signage for banks and savings associations in light of the coverage changes; information about a special bulletin and statement stuffers that institutions can distribute to their employees and customers; and the FDIC's plans to update its insurance coverage resources. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06027.html 

March 28, 2006 - FRB Statistical Release - G.20 Finance Companies - Owned And Managed Receivables Outstanding 2 - Seasonally adjusted.   www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/g20/current/default.htm 

March 28, 2006 - FOMC statement and Board approval of discount rate requests of the Federal Reserve Banks of Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Dallas, and San Francisco.   www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/monetary/2006/20060328/default.htm 

March 28, 2006 - NCUA General Counsel Opinion 06-0318 - Change in Number of FCU Directors.   www.ncua.gov/RegulationsOpinionsLaws/opinion_letters/2006/06-0318.pdf 

March 27, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday launched a new kids web page designed to educate middle school students about the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The new web page is designed in a user-friendly, question-and-answer format to ensure easy navigation and the ability to learn basic information about the Fed. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/other/2006/20060327/default.htm 

March 27, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday announced the approval of the application of Banco Latinoamericano de Exportaciones S.A., Panama City, Republic of Panama, to establish a representative office in Miami, Florida. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/200603272/default.htm 

March 27, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday announced its approval of the application and notice under sections 3 and 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act by BB&T Corporation, Winston Salem, North Carolina, to effect the following transactions: (1) to acquire Main Street Banks, Inc. ("Main Street"), Atlanta, and its subsidiary bank, Main Street Bank, Covington, both of Georgia; and (2) to acquire Main Street's subsidiary, MSB Payroll Solutions, LLC, Alpharetta, Georgia, and thereby engage in permissible data processing activities. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060327/default.htm 

March 27, 2006 - NCUA - Grant Applications are Available for Building Internal Capacity Initiative, Outreach and Partnering Initiative and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance www.ncua.gov/CreditUnionDevelopment/Programs/FinanceGrants.htm 

March 24, 2006 - The fourth conference organized by the International Research Forum on Monetary Policy will be held at the Federal Reserve Board on December 1-2, 2006. www.federalreserve.gov/events/conferences/2006/20061201/default.htm 

March 24, 2006 - NCUA Board Member Hyland Visits Low-Income Credit Unions - National Credit Union Administration Board Member Gigi Hyland spoke to the New York State Credit Union League's Metropolitan Chapter of Credit Unions in Manhattan, and in conjunction with her speech, visited Lower East Side People's Federal Credit Union in Manhattan, and Bethex Federal Credit Union in the Bronx. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0324.htm 
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March 23, 2006 - OTS Promotes Customer Education Program On Identity Theft - The Office of Thrift Supervision is encouraging savings institutions to take advantage of a new Treasury Department program to educate their customers on identity theft prevention and remedies. www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776015.html 

March 23, 2006 - Investing in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: A Sound Opportunity for Community Banks - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today published the Spring 2006 edition of Community Developments Investments focusing on Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, an investment that many banks do not know is available to them. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=EYKR8OR4.xml 

March 23, 2006 - Kevin M. Warsh and Randall S. Kroszner were formally sworn in as members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System at a ceremony Thursday in the atrium of the Board's main building in Washington. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/other/2006/20060323/default.htm 

March 23, 2006 - NCUA - Anne-Marie Kelley To Join NCUA's Office of Public and Congressional Affairs - National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) Chairman JoAnn Johnson today announced that Anne-Marie Kelley has been appointed Special Assistant for Legislative Affairs effective March 27th. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0322.htm 

March 23, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced the approval of the application of National City Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, to acquire Forbes First Financial Corporation, St. Louis, and its subsidiary bank, Pioneer Bank and Trust Company, Maplewood, both in Missouri. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060323/default.htm 

March 23, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced the issuance of a Final Decision and Order of Prohibition against Oyeacholem Moseri, a former employee of First North American National Bank, Kenneshaw, Georgia. The Order, the result of an action brought by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, prohibits Mr. Moseri from participating in the conduct of the affairs of any financial institution or holding company. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/Enforcement/2006/20060323/default.htm 

  March 22, 2006 - NCUA - Letter to Credit Unions 06-CU-06 - Influenza Pandemic Preparedness.  www.ncua.gov/letters/2006/CU/06-CU-06-ENCL.pdf 

March 22, 2006 - Should We Expect Significant Out-of-Sample Results When Predicting Stock Returns? - Erik Hjalmarsson - Using Monte Carlo simulations, I show that typical out-of-sample forecast exercises for stock returns are unlikely to produce any evidence of predictability, even when there is in fact predictability and the correct model is estimated. www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/ifdp/2006/855/ifdp855.htm 

March 22, 2006 - Fully Modified Estimation With Nearly Integrated Regressors - Erik Hjalmarsson - I show that the test procedure derived by Campbell and Yogo (2005, Journal of Financial Economics, forthcoming) for regressions with nearly integrated variables can be interpreted as the natural t-test resulting from a fully modified estimation with near-unit-root regressors. www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/ifdp/2006/854/ifdp854.htm 

March 22, 2006 - New Methods for Inference in Long-Run Predictive Regressions - Erik Hjalmarsson - I develop new asymptotic results for long-horizon regressions with overlapping observations. I show that rather than using auto-correlation robust standard errors, the standard t-statistic can simply be divided by the square root of the forecasting horizon to correct for the effects of the overlap in the data. www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/ifdp/2006/853/ifdp853.htm 

March 22, 2006 - Estimation of Average Local-to-Unity Roots in Heterogenous Panels - Erik Hjalmarsson - This paper considers the estimation of average autoregressive roots-near-unity in panels where the time-series have heterogenous local-to-unity parameters. The pooled estimator is shown to have a potentially severe bias and a robust median based procedure is proposed instead. This median estimator has a small asymptotic bias that can be eliminated almost completely by a bias correction procedure. The asymptotic normality of the estimator is proved. The methods proposed in the paper provide a useful way of summarizing the persistence in a panel data set, as well as a complement to more traditional panel unit root tests. www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/ifdp/2006/852/ifdp852.htm 

March 22, 2006 - Federal Reserve Bulletin: Legal Developments - Fourth Quarter, 2005.  www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/bulletin/2006/legal06-1.pdf 

March 22, 2006 - Agencies Seek Public Comment on Issues Related to the Accuracy of Consumer Credit Reports and the Reinvestigation of Disputes - The federal financial institution regulatory agencies and the Federal Trade Commission have jointly issued for comment an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on section 312 of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act.
Press Release: www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2006/20060322/default.htm 
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?JNR=1&Doc=A8LXRAJI.xml 
Press Release: www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06032.html 
Press Release: www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776014.html 
Press Release: www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/JR06-0322.pdf 

March 21, 2006 - Comptroller of the Currency Hosts Community Bank Directors Workshops in Columbus, Ohio - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will host workshops for national community bank directors at the Westin Great Southern Hotel, Columbus, Ohio, on April 25-26. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=M754AN3.xml 

March 21, 2006 - FRB Statistical Release - E.2 Survey of Terms of Business Lending.  www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/E2/Current/default.htm 

March 21, 2006 - Amendments to Regulation K to include Bank Secrecy Act compliance program requirement - On March 20, 2006 the Federal Reserve published in the Federal Register a final rule that amends Regulation K, International Banking Operations . The final rule requires Edge and agreement corporations and U.S. branches, agencies, and representative offices of foreign banks supervised by the Federal Reserve to establish and maintain procedures reasonably designed to ensure and monitor compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and related regulations. www.federalreserve.gov/BoardDocs/SRLetters/2006/SR0607.htm 

March 20, 2006 - Chairman Ben S. Bernanke - Reflections on the Yield Curve and Monetary Policy - Before the Economic Club of New York, New York, New York.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060320/default.htm 

March 20, 2006 - NCUA issues interim rule amending share insurance coverage - Retirement account coverage increases to $250,000; standard share account coverage remains $100,000.  www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0320.htm 

March 20, 2006 - NCUA - The National Credit Union Administration Executive Director Len Skiles announced the selection of Chrisanthy J. Loizos as Director of Equal Opportunity Programs. Prior to her selection, Ms. Loizos had been serving as Acting Director since January of 2006. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0320-2.htm 

March 20, 2006 - Wal-Mart Bank's Application for Federal Deposit Insurance - A draft agenda for the April public hearings on the proposed Wal-Mart Bank's application for federal deposit insurance is now available on the FDIC's Web site, www.fdic.gov. The agenda includes the names of parties who are currently scheduled to give oral presentations, as well as the speaking times and the locations where the parties are scheduled to speak. The final agenda will be posted to the FDIC's Web site no later than April 5, 2006. www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06031.html 

March 20, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday announced the approval of an application by Caja de Ahorros de Galicia, Caixa Galicia, A Coruña, Spain, to establish an agency in Miami, Florida. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060320/default.htm 

March 20, 2006 - Reports of Condition and Income for First Quarter 2006 - The enclosed materials pertain to the Reports of Condition and Income for the March 31, 2006, report date. Please plan to complete the preparation, editing, review, and submission of your Call Report data to the agencies' Central Data Repository as early as possible. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06026.html 

March 20, 2006 - Rich Spillenkothen, the director of the Division of Banking Supervision and Regulation, will retire on June 30 after thirty years of service with the Federal Reserve Board, including nearly fifteen years as the director of the division. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/other/2006/20060320/default.htm 

March 17, 2006 - OCC Announces New Electronic Interpretations and Actions - March 2006.  www.occ.treas.gov/interp/mar06/intmar06.htm 

March 17, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the approval of policy changes that seek to reduce the overuse of Federal Reserve Bank cash-processing services by providing incentives for depository institutions to recirculate currency among their customers. The Reserve Banks estimate that the changes to the cash services policy could affect approximately 150 to 225 depository institutions with high-volume currency operations. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/other/2006/20060317/default.htm 

March 17, 2006 - NCUA - Letter to Credit Unions 06-CU-05 - Share Insurance Coverage (Deposit Insurance Reform) www.ncua.gov/letters/2006/CU/06-CU-05.pdf 

March 17, 2006 - OCC Clarifies Community Development Investment Authority For Investments in Minority Owned Banks and Thrifts - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced a new interpretive "Question and Answer" which will clarify the criteria under which a national bank may make an investment in a minority-owned bank or thrift under the Part 24 community development investment authority. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=BYTOJQ74.xml 

March 17, 2006 - Banking Structure - Financial Holding Companies - Under the Bank Holding Company Act, bank holding companies may elect to be financial holding companies. Following is a list of those companies whose elections to become or be treated as financial holding companies are effective. The list includes only the top-tier company in each organization.  www.federalreserve.gov/GeneralInfo/FHC/default.htm 

March 17, 2006 - The Yield Curve and Predicting Recessions - Jonathan H. Wright - The slope of the Treasury yield curve has often been cited as a leading economic indicator, with inversion of the curve being thought of as a harbinger of a recession. In this paper, I consider a number of probit models using the yield curve to forecast recessions. Models that use both the level of the federal funds rate and the term spread give better in-sample fit, and better out-of-sample predictive performance, than models with the term spread alone. www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/FEDS/2006/200607/200607pap.pdf 

March 17, 2006 - Statistical Release G.17 Industrial Production - Industrial production increased 0.7 percent in February after a decrease of 0.3 percent in January. The output of utilities jumped 7.9 percent in February, as the weather moved closer to seasonal norms after January's warm temperatures. Mining output decreased 0.5 percent in February, and manufacturing production was unchanged after a gain of 0.8 percent in January. www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/g17/current/default.htm 

March 17, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the issuance of a consent Cease and Desist Order against Doral Financial Corporation, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a registered bank holding company that owns and controls Doral Bank, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a state nonmember bank, and indirectly owns and controls Doral Bank, FSB, New York, New York, a federal savings bank. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/Enforcement/2006/20060317/default.htm 

March 17, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the issuance of a consent Cease and Desist Order against First BanCorp, Santurce, Puerto Rico, a registered bank holding company that owns and controls FirstBank Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a state nonmember bank, and indirectly owns and controls FirstBank Florida, Miami, Florida, a federal savings and loan association.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/Enforcement/2006/200603172/default.htm 

March 17, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced the issuance of a consent Cease and Desist Order against R&G Financial Corporation, Hato Rey, San Juan, Puerto Rico, a registered bank holding company that owns and controls R-G Premier Bank of Puerto Rico.   www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/Enforcement/2006/200603173/default.htm   
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March 16, 2006 - Availability of Funds and Collection of Checks (Regulation CC) and Collection of Checks and Other Items by Federal Reserve Banks and Funds Transfers through Fedwire (Regulation J): Amendment to Regulation CC and J Addressing Remotely Created Checks.
Press Release : www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-13.txt
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/fr/fedregister/70fr71218.pdf 

March 16, 2006 - OCC Releases CRA Evaluations For 18 National Banks - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today released a list of Community Reinvestment Act performance evaluations that became public during the period of February 15, 2005 through March 14, 2006. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=23MC9Z93.xml 

March 16, 2006 - Federal Reserve Bulletin Article - Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization: The 2005 Annual Revision.  www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/bulletin/2006/ip06.pdf 

March 16, 2006 - NCUA Board Action Bulletin for 3/16/2006 is available - A Summary of Actions Taken at NCUA Board Meetings.  www.ncua.gov/NCUABoard/board_reports/board_reports.html 

March 16, 2006 - NCUA General Counsel Opinion 05-0915 - World Council of Credit Unions "International Shared Branching" Pilot Project with Ecuador.  www.ncua.gov/RegulationsOpinionsLaws/opinion_letters/2005/05-0915.pdf 

March 16, 2006 - Imposition of Special Measures against Commercial Bank of Syria - The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is issuing this SR letter to advise banking organizations under its supervision of new obligations relating to Commercial Bank of Syria imposed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/SRLETTERS/2006/SR0606.htm 

March 16, 2006 - Governor Donald L. Kohn - Monetary policy and asset prices At "Monetary Policy: A Journey from Theory to Practice," a European Central Bank Colloquium held in honor of Otmar Issing, Frankfurt, Germany.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060316/default.htm 

March 15, 2006 - OTS Approves H&R Block, Inc. Application To Organize A Federal Savings Bank - The Office of Thrift Supervision announced today the approval of an application from H&R Block, Inc. to organize a de novo federal stock savings bank to be known as H&R Block Bank, which will be located in Kansas City, Missouri. www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776013.html 

March 15, 2006 - OCC Enforcement Actions - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today released new enforcement actions taken against national banks and individuals currently and formerly affiliated with national banks and terminations of existing enforcement actions. www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/release/2006-32.htm 

March 15, 2006 - Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Interagency Advisory - The FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Office of Thrift Supervision are issuing the attached interagency advisory to raise awareness about the threats of a pandemic influenza outbreak and similar events, and their potential impact on the delivery of critical financial services.
Press Release: www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06025.html 
Press Release: www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776012.html 
Press Release: www.federalreserve.gov/BoardDocs/srletters/2006/SR0605.htm

March 15, 2006 - Beige Book - Informal review by the Federal Reserve Banks of current economic conditions in their Districts.  www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2006/20060315/ 

March 15, 2006 - FRB Statistical Supplement to the Federal Reserve Bulletin February 2006.   www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/supplement/2006/02/default.htm 

March 15, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced its approval of a final rule to amend Regulation K to require Edge and Agreement corporations and U.S. branches, agencies, and other offices of foreign banks supervised by the Board to establish and maintain procedures reasonably designed to ensure and monitor compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and related regulations. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2006/200603152/default.htm 

March 15, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced its approval of the notice under section 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act by Société Générale, Paris, France, to engage in physical commodity trading activities on a limited basis as an activity that is complementary to the financial activity of engaging regularly as a principal in commodity derivatives. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060315/default.htm 

March 15, 2006 - NCUA - Grants and Financial Information - The National Credit Union Administration's Community Development Revolving Loan Fund was established by Congress to support credit unions that serve low-income communities by making loans and Technical Assistance Grants available to qualifying institutions. www.ncua.gov/CreditUnionDevelopment/Programs/FinanceGrants.htm 

March 15, 2006 - NCUA - Credit Union Group is Placed into Conservatorship by the Kansas Department of Credit Unions.   www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0315.htm 

March 15, 2006 - Bank and Thrift Agencies Issue Advisory on Influenza Pandemic Preparedness - The federal bank and thrift regulatory agencies today issued an interagency advisory to financial institutions and their technology service providers that is intended to raise awareness of the threat of a pandemic influenza outbreak and its potential impact on the delivery of critical financial services.
Press Release: www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2006/20060315/default.htm 
Press Release: www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06030.html 
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?JNR=1&Doc=LP48X3Q9.xml 
Press Release: www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776012.html 

March 14, 2006 - FDIC Insurance for Retirement Accounts Increased to $250,000 Higher coverage takes effect April 1; Basic insurance limit for other accounts stays at $100,000 - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Board of Directors today approved final rules that will raise the deposit insurance coverage on certain retirement accounts at a bank or savings institution to $250,000 from $100,000. The increase, the result of a new law boosting federal deposit insurance coverage for the first time in more than 25 years, will become effective on April 1. The basic insurance coverage for other deposit accounts, however, will remain at $100,000. www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06029.html 

March 14, 2006 - Sites Chosen for FDIC's Public Hearings on the Proposed Wal-Mart Bank's Application for Federal Deposit Insurance The hearings will be held in April in the Washington, D.C., and Kansas City, Missouri, areas - The first hearing, scheduled for Monday and Tuesday, April 10 and 11, will be held at the FDIC's Virginia Square auditorium (Building C), located at 3501 Fairfax Drive, Arlington, Virginia. The second hearing, scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, April 25 and 26, will be held at the Overland Park Convention Center (Courtyard Rooms four and five), 6000 College Boulevard, Overland Park, Kansas. www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06028.html 

March 14, 2006 - Bank Holding Company Supervision Manual - Provides guidance for conducting inspections of bank holding companies and their nonbank subsidiaries. The supervisory objectives of the inspection program are to ascertain whether the financial strength of the bank holding company is being maintained on an ongoing basis and to determine the effects or consequences of transactions between a holding company or its nonbanking subsidiaries and its subsidiary banks. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/supmanual/bhc/bhc0106.pdf 

March 14, 2006 - Taxation with Representation: Intergovernmental Grants in a Plebiscite Democracy - Byron F. Lutz - Economic theory predicts that unconditional intergovernmental grant income and private income are perfectly fungible. Despite this prediction, the literature on fiscal federalism documents that grant and private income are empirically non-equivalent. www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2006/200606/index.html 

March 13, 2006 - Revised safety and soundness booklet in the Comptroller's Handbook guides banks in managing the risks of transacting business with insiders - officers, directors, employees, and controlling shareholders. www.occ.treas.gov/handbook/insider.pdf 

March 13, 2006 - Comptroller Dugan Says Basel II Transition Should Move Forward, But with Significant Safeguards to Protect Banking System - Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan told a conference of international bankers today that the continued safety and soundness of the banking system demands that regulators move away from the simplistic risk-based capital system now in use for internationally active banks to one that substantially enhances risk management and more closely aligns capital with risk.
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=GYZ3OTOQ.xml 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/release/2006-30a.pdf 

March 13, 2006 - Community Reinvestment Act - New Interagency Questions and Answers -The FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have published the attached informal staff guidance on community reinvestment in the form of questions and answers. The agencies proposed the guidance for comment on November 10, 2005. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06023.html 

March 13, 2006 - Bank Secrecy Act - Suspicious Activity Report Form - The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and the federal bank, thrift and credit union regulatory agencies are soliciting comments on the attached proposed changes to the Suspicious Activity Report form. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06024.html 

March 13, 2006 - FRB Statistical Release - U.S. Reserve Assets; Foreign Official Assets Held at Federal Reserve Banks.   www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/bulletin/0206assets.htm 

March 13, 2006 - Proposals for Comment - Interagency request for comment on the Suspicious Activity Report by Depository Institutions.  www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/proposedregs.cfm 

March 13, 2006 - Proposals for Comment - Proposal to approve the implementation of the following collection of information: Studies to Develop and Test Consumer Regulatory Disclosures.  www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/proposedregs.cfm 

March 13, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday announced its approval of the application under section 3 of the Bank Holding Company Act by Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to acquire Trustcorp Financial, Inc., St. Louis, and its subsidiary bank, Missouri State Bank and Trust Company, Clayton, both of Missouri. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/200603132/default.htm 

March 13, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Monday announced its approval of the application and notice under sections 3 and 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act by Marshall & Ilsley Corporation, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to acquire Gold Banc, Inc. and its subsidiary bank, Gold Bank, both in Leawood, Kansas. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060313/default.htm 

March 13, 2006 - Governor Mark W. Olson - Are Banks Still Special? - At the Annual Washington Conference of the Institute of International Bankers, Washington, D.C. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060313/default.htm 

March 10, 2006 - NCUA - Letter to Credit Unions 06-CU-04 - Financial Trends Report for 2005.  www.ncua.gov/letters/2006/CU/06-CU-04.pdf 

March 10, 2006 - Community Reinvestment Act New Interagency Questions and Answers - The FDIC, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have published the attached informal staff guidance on community reinvestment in the form of questions and answers. The agencies proposed the guidance for comment on November 10, 2005. After considering the comments, the agencies have adopted all of the proposed Q&As as they were proposed or with revisions in response to the comments. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06023.html 

March 10, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced its approval of the notice under section 4 of the Bank Holding Company Act by Bank Hapoalim, B.M. and Arison Holdings (1998) Ltd., both of Tel Aviv, and Israel Salt Industries Ltd., Atlit, all in Israel, to acquire all the outstanding shares of Investec (US) Incorporated, New York, New York. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060310/default.htm 

March 10, 2006 - Vice Chairman Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. - Remarks To the Financial Stability Forum, International Accounting Standards Board, and International Federation of Accountants Roundtable on Financial Reporting and Auditing, Paris, France. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060310/default.htm
____________________

March 9, 2006 - Household Debt Service and Financial Obligations Ratios - The household debt service ratio is an estimate of the ratio of debt payments to disposable personal income. Debt payments consist of the estimated required payments on outstanding mortgage and consumer debt. www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/housedebt/default.htm 

March 9, 2006 - Agencies Extend Comment Period on Interagency Guidance On Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending - The federal financial regulatory agencies today extended the comment period on the proposed guidance on Concentrations in Commercial Real Estate Lending, Sound Risk Management Practices.
Press Release: www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2006/20060309/default.htm 
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?JNR=1&Doc=3RQD1PBO.xml 
Press Release: www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776011.html 

March 9, 2006 - Comptroller Speaks to Independent Community Bankers - Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan applauded the work of independent banks and said America needs community institutions that are strong enough to help out in times of emergency, but also there in ordinary times to help people achieve their lives' dreams. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=T8QZMQ2M.xml 

March 9, 2006 - Consumer Credit Protection Act and Fair Lending - Prohibition Against Discrimination in Credit Transactions - The FDIC is reminding institutions that the Equal Credit Opportunity Act and its implementing regulation prohibit discrimination in credit transactions against consumers who have, in good faith, exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. The CCPA, which comprises several consumer protection titles, includes the rights provided to consumers by the Fair Credit Reporting Act - Title VI of the CCPA. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06022.html 

March 9, 2006 - FRB Statistical Release - Z.1 Flow of Funds.  www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/z1/current/default.htm 

March 8, 2006 - St. Louis Fed Promotes Nelson to Assistant Vice President - The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis has promoted Edward Nelson to assistant vice president in the Research Division. Nelson joined the Reserve Bank in 2003 as an officer in Research. www.stlouisfed.org/news/releases/2006/03_08_06a.htm 

March 8, 2006 - Do Homeowners Know Their House Valuse and Mortgage Terms? - Brian Bucks and Karen Pence - To assess whether homeowners know their house values and mortgage terms, we compare the distributions of these variables in the household-reported 2001 Survey of Consumer Finances to the distributions in lender-reported data. www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2006/200603/200603pap.pdf 

March 8, 2006 - Paper or Plastic? The Effect of Time on the Use of Check and Debit Cards at Grocery Stores - Elizabeth Klee - Time is a significant cost of conducting transactions, and theoretical models predict that transactions costs significantly affect the type of media of exchange buyers use. However, there is little empirical work documenting the magnitude of this effect. www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/feds/2006/200602/200602pap.pdf 

March 8, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced its approval of the application under section 3 of the Bank Holding Company Act by Compass Bancshares, Inc., Birmingham, Alabama, to acquire TexasBanc Holding Co., Weatherford, and TexasBank, Fort Worth, both of Texas. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060308/default.htm 

March 8, 2006 - Near-Term Forecast for U.S. Housing Sector A "Tough Task": St. Louis Fed's Poole - Forecasting the near-term prospects for the U.S. housing sector has been a "tough task" in recent years, said William Poole, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. www.stlouisfed.org/news/releases/2006/03_08_06.htm 

March 8, 2006 - FDIC Makes Public January Enforcement Actions; No Administrative Hearing Scheduled - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today released a list of orders of administrative enforcement actions taken against banks and individuals in January. No administrative hearings are scheduled for March. www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06026.html 

March 8, 2006 - Chairman Ben S. Bernanke - Community Banking and Community Bank Supervision in the Twenty-First Century At the Independent Community Bankers of America National Convention and Techworld, Las Vegas, Nevada.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060308/default.htm 

March 8, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Wednesday announced the issuance of a consent Cease and Desist Order against Asian Financial Corporation, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and its subsidiary bank, Asian Bank, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.   www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/Enforcement/2006/20060308/default.htm 

March 7, 2006 - NCUA Announces Clearance under Paperwork Reduction Act for Pilot Initiative to Measure Credit Union Service to Members.   www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0307.htm 

March 7, 2006 - NCUA - Nicholas Owens Announces Plans to Depart NCUA - After serving five years as a member of the National Credit Union Administration Chairman's senior staff, Nicholas N. Owens has announced plans to depart the agency March 24. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0307-2.htm 

March 7, 2006 - OTS Finds Local Lending Law Preempted for Federal Savings Associations - The Office of Thrift Supervision issued a legal opinion today concluding that federal law preempts the application to federal savings associations of recent amendments to the Code of Montgomery County, Maryland. www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776010.html 

March 7, 2006 - FRB Statistical Release - G.19 Consumer Credit - Consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 2-1/4 percent in January. Both revolving and nonrevolving credit posted small gains. www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/G19/Current/default.htm 

March 7, 2006 - Proposal for Comment - Agency Information Collection Activities Country Exposure Report and Country Exposure Information Report.  www.federalreserve.gov/generalinfo/foia/proposedregs.cfm 

March 7, 2006 - FRB Statistical Release - Large Commercial Banks - Insured U.S.-Chartered Commercial Banks That Have Consolidated Assets of $300 Million or More, Ranked by Consolidated Assets as December 31, 2005.  www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/lbr/current/default.htm 

March 7, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board announced today that the Consumer Advisory Council will hold its next meeting on Thursday, March 30. The meeting will take place in Dining Room E, Terrace level, in the Board's Martin Building. The session will begin at 9:00 a.m. and is open to the public. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/other/2006/20060307/default.htm 

March 7, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Tuesday announced its approval of the application by Whitney Holding Corporation, New Orleans, Louisiana, to acquire First National Bancshares, Inc. and its subsidiary bank, 1st National Bank & Trust, both of Bradenton, Florida. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/orders/2006/20060307/default.htm 

March 7, 2006 - FRB termination of enforcement action against New Asia Bank.   www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/Enforcement/2006/20060307/default.htm 

March 6, 2006 - NCUA Vice Chairman Hood participates in Launch of Massachusetts Credit Union League's $100 million HLPR Mortgage Initiative.  www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0306.htm 

March 6, 2006 - OTS Lists 32 CRA Exams Scheduled For Second Quarter 2006 - The Office of Thrift Supervision announced today that 32 savings associations are scheduled for Community Reinvestment Act examinations during the first quarter of 2006. www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776009.html 

March 6, 2006 - NCUA General Counsel Opinion 05-1204 - Permissibility of CUSO Assisting Credit Union in Providing Payroll Services.  www.ncua.gov/RegulationsOpinionsLaws/opinion_letters/2005/05-1204.pdf 

March 6, 2006 - College-Educated Workers Migrating to Bigger Metro Areas Rather Than Rural Communities: St. Louis Fed Analysis, St. Louis, Mo. - When it comes to competing for workers, the bigger cities may have the edge on their rural cousins, at least when it comes to college graduates' decisions about where they want to live. www.stlouisfed.org/news/releases/2006/03_06_06.htm 

March 6, 2006 - St. Louis Fed's Review: Human Capital Growth in a Cross Section of U.S. Metropolitan Areas; Entrepreneurship and the Policy Environment; Macroeconomic News and Real Interest Rates; Using Cyclical Regimes of Output Growth to Predict Jobless Recoveries.  www.stlouisfed.org/news/releases/2006/03_06_06b.htm 

March 3, 2006 - NCUA - Application for Staff, Official, and Board Training Grant Initiative is available - The National Credit Union Administration's Community Development Revolving Loan Fund was established by Congress to support credit unions that serve low-income communities by making loans and Technical Assistance Grants available to qualifying institutions. www.ncua.gov/CreditUnionDevelopment/Programs/FinanceGrants.htm 

March 3, 2006 - NCUA - Board Member Hyland Participates in Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to Commemorate the Opening of Shared Branch Office - National Credit Union Administration Board Member Gigi Hyland participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony to commemorate the opening of ACCESO, a shared branch office formed by three credit unions from the greater Washington DC area. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0303.htm 

March 3, 2006 - FDIC 2005 Annual Report - Annual Report Now Available on FDIC Web Site - The FDIC is pleased to announce that its 2005 Annual Report is now available on the FDIC's Web site. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06021.html 

March 3, 2006 - FDIC Reports Year-End 2005 Financial Results for Bank and Thrift Insurance Funds Unqualified audit opinions on Funds' financial statements issued by the Government Accountability Office - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today announced that the Corporation has received its fourteenth consecutive set of unqualified audit opinions on the financial statements of the three funds that it manages. www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06025.html 

March 3, 2006 - FDIC Issues List of Banks Examined for CRA Compliance - The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation today issued its list of state nonmember banks recently evaluated for compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act.  www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06024.html 

March 3, 2006 - Legal Interpretations - Bank Holding Company/Change in Control - letter to Debra Barbin in response to a request for an advisory opinion on behalf of The Bank Holdings, Reno, Nevada.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/legalint/bhc_changeincontrol/2006/ 

March 3, 2006 - Vice Chairman Roger W. Ferguson, Jr. - Economic Outlook for the United States - At the Howard University Economics Forum, Washington, D.C. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/speeches/2006/20060303/default.htm 
______________

March 2, 2006 - Interagency Community Reinvestment Act Questions and Answers Reflecting 2005 Regulation Changes - On March 1, 2006, the Board approved the attached Interagency CRA Questions and Answers that provide guidance for the CRA regulatory changes published in the Federal Register on August 2, 2005 (70 Federal Register 44256). 1 These Interagency Questions and Answers, which will be published in the Federal Register in the near future, contain informal staff guidance for agency personnel, financial institutions, and the public. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/caletters/2006/0607/caltr0607.htm 

March 2, 2006 - The Federal Reserve Board on Thursday announced the termination of the enforcement action against Civitas BankGroup, Inc., Franklin, Tenn.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/Enforcement/2006/20060302/default.htm 

March 2, 2006 - Comptroller Dugan Says in Speech to Hard-Pressed Gulf Communities That Regulators 'Are Determined to do Everything We Can to be Helpful' - Comptroller of the Currency John C. Dugan said today regulators want to encourage partnerships between local banks and institutions outside the Gulf Coast region to make a real difference to hard-pressed communities devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=YZGRN8PS.xml 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/release/2006-27a.pdf 

March 2, 2006 - Interagency Advisory on the Unsafe and Unsound Use of Limitation of Liability Provisions in External Audit Engagement Letters - The Federal Reserve and the other financial institutions regulatory agencies published on February 9, 2006, the attached Advisory to address safety and soundness concerns that may arise when financial institutions enter into external audit contracts that limit the auditors' liability for audit services. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/srletters/2006/sr0604.htm 

March 2, 2006 - Banking Agencies Issue Final Community Reinvestment Guidance - The federal banking agencies today announced final guidance implementing the recent changes to their Community Reinvestment Act regulations. The guidance clarifies, among other things, the availability of CRA consideration for bank activities that revitalize or stabilize designated disaster areas.
Press Release: www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/bcreg/2006/20060302/default.htm 
Press Release: www.fdic.gov/news/news/press/2006/pr06023.html
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?JNR=1&Doc=QNNWC97R.xml 

March 1, 2006 - NCUA - Chairman Johnson's Statement before the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee.   www.ncua.gov/news/speeches/2006/Johnson/Senate-03-01-2006.pdf 

March 1, 2006 - Director Reich Urges Congress to Move Forward on Regulatory Burden Relief - Office of Thrift Supervision Director, John M. Reich, appeared before the Senate Banking Committee today to urge Congress to pass legislation to reduce unnecessary regulatory burden on the nation's depository institutions. www.ots.treas.gov/docs/7/776008.html 

March 1, 2006 - OCC releases two publications that provide the latest OCC interpretations and decisions authorizing activities for national banks and their operating subsidiaries: Significant Legal, Licensing, and Community Development Precedents for National Banks: 2005 (annual) and Activities Permissible for a National Bank.  
www.occ.treas.gov/sigpre.pdf 
www.occ.treas.gov/corpapps/bankact.pdf 

March 1, 2006 - OCC Issues Second Quarter 2006 CRA Examination Schedule - The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency today released its schedule of Community Reinvestment Act examinations to be conducted in the second quarter of 2006. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=E7VTLBV6.xml 

March 1, 2006 - OCC Chief Counsel Testifies on Regulatory Relief - Julie L. Williams, chief counsel of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, testified before the Senate Banking Committee today on the subject of regulatory relief. www.occ.treas.gov/toolkit/newsrelease.aspx?Doc=PRR7ZI6S.xml 

March 1, 2006 - Bank Secrecy ActRegistration and De-registration of Money Services Businesses - The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has released the attached guidance clarifying the registration, renewal and de-registration requirements of money services businesses. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06020.html 

March 1, 2006 - Bank Secrecy Act Foreign Bank Recertifications - The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has released the attached guidance to clarify the date on which certain U.S. financial institutions must complete recertifications to comply with regulations relating to correspondent accounts established, maintained, administered or managed in the U.S. for, or on behalf of, foreign financial institutions. www.fdic.gov/news/news/financial/2006/fil06019.html 

March 1, 2006 - Statistical Release - G.5 Foreign Exchange Rates - The table below shows the average rates of exchange in February 2006 together with comparable figures for other months. Averages are based on daily noon buying rates for cable transfers in New York City certified for customs purposes by the federal reserve bank of New York. www.federalreserve.gov/Releases/G5/Current/default.htm 

March 1, 2006 - NCUA - 2006 Data for Compliance with the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act.  www.ncua.gov/reg_alerts/2006/06-RA-03.pdf 

March 1, 2006 - NCUA - Chairman Johnson testifies on regulatory relief - National Credit Union Administration Chairman JoAnn Johnson today presented recommendations on regulatory relief for credit unions to the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. www.ncua.gov/news/press_releases/2006/NR06-0301.htm 

March 1, 2006 - Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering: FinCEN; Final Rule and Proposed Rule for Special Due Diligence Programs for Certain Foreign Accounts.
Press Release: www.occ.treas.gov/ftp/bulletin/2006-10.txt 
Attachment: www.occ.treas.gov/fr/fedregister/71fr496.pdf 

March 1, 2006 - Testimony of Governor Donald L. Kohn - Regulatory relief - Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, United States Senate March 1, 2006.  www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/testimony/2006/20060301/default.htm 

March 1, 2006 - Randall S. Kroszner on Wednesday took the oath of office as a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The oath was administered by Chairman Bernanke in the Board Room. www.federalreserve.gov/boarddocs/press/other/2006/20060301/default.htm 

 

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