Recent developments about the New York State Department of Financial Services
(Not affiliated with NYDFS; just a blog.)
DFS has ordered Paxos to stop issuing BUSD stablecoin, one of the most widely held and traded. According to DFS: “DFS has ordered Paxos to cease minting Paxos-issued BUSD as a result of several unresolved issues related to Paxos’ oversight of its relationship with Binance through Paxos-issued BUSD. In response, on February 13, 2023, Paxos … Read more
NYDFS has adopted a new Community Reinvestment Act regulation. It has been looking at the issue for quite some time. According to DFS the final regulation details how institutions must collect and submit data while abiding by fair lending laws. Banks will be required to report to DFS details of applications, such as: • whether the … Read more
NYDFS Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris interviewed with the Capitol Pressroom Podcast. Here are some hottakes: • NYDFS would have denied FTX’s then-pending application for a BitLicense because the firm engaged in crypto lending which is not permitted under the BitLicense. • Re: cryptocurrency regulation generally: “I can confidently say New Yorkers will fare much better than citizens in … Read more
As noted in Part One of this article [LINK HERE: NYLJ11292022562493 DFSReporting Part One], issuance of the second “Monaco Memo” by the U.S. Department of Justice in October 2022 sparked debate anew about the self-reporting of misconduct by corporations. Settlements between the Justice Department and several large companies since then have brought greater clarity to … Read more
NYDFS issued an enforcement action against Coinbase Inc., alleging a variety of compliance failures. Some details: – $50MM penalty; $50MM commitment spend on compliance; Continuation of Independent Monitor – “During much of the relevant period, Coinbase’s KYC/CDD program, both as written and as implemented, was immature and inadequate. Coinbase treated customer onboarding requirements as a … Read more
In a joint statement of the FRB, OCC and FDIC, the lead federal banking regulators continued in a posture of wariness towards cryptocurrency: “Based on the agencies’ current understanding and experience to date, the agencies believe that issuing or holding as principal crypto-assets that are issued, stored, or transferred on an open, public, and/or decentralized … Read more
NYDFS has issued new guidance for banks on climate risk. This follows on initial guidance issued for banks on climate risk in 2020. According to DFS: “A Regulated Organization’s board of directors and management are expected to care for the organization’s operational resilience and safety and soundness on an ongoing basis and with respect to … Read more
NYDFS has issued guidance for regulated banks that seek to engage in “virtual currency-related activity.” The guidance requires prior approval based on submission of such items as a business plan, evaluation of risk management, governance structures, and financials. Unsurprisingly, and especially in this environment, consideration of consumer protection is central: “The Department has a particular … Read more
State bank supervisors have appointed New York State Department of Financial Services Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris to serve as the state banking representative on the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC), according to the Conference of State Banking Supervisors. “Superintendent Harris’ background and experience at both the federal and state level will be an asset for … Read more
According to its second report on fair lending violations, NYDFS took action against two mortgage lenders, although it did not make any findings of violations: “After taking the testimony of Premium Mortgage and 1st Priority executives, as well as a number of licensed mortgage loan originators at Premium Mortgage, and reviewing documents provided by the … Read more