Comptroller Statement on Final Rule Eliminating Reputation Risk from Bank Supervision

WASHINGTON-Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould issued the following statement today at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation's board meeting about a final rule that codifies the elimination of reputation risk from Office of the Comptroller of the Currency supervisory programs.

Today's final rule is another step toward reducing the opportunities for regulatory abuse by removing reputation risk as a basis for government action.

Reputation risk is not a sound basis for supervision. Regulators and banks have too often used it as a pretext for decisions that have nothing to do with safety and soundness, financial risk, or even BSA/AML compliance. The result, in too many cases, has been lawful businesses and individuals denied access to banking services. Supervisory action should be grounded in less subjective measures. This rule, together with other actions we are taking, helps move us in that direction.

Our rulemaking also implements the President's fair banking Executive Order. But our work is not done under that EO. Although we have made significant progress in our review of the alleged debanking actions of the largest national banks, we continue to delve into the details of specific complaints and policy choices. Our collective efforts under the EO should shine a spotlight on the actions of agencies and certain banks, bringing accountability and ensuring that neither we nor banks restrict access to financial services on the basis of political or religious beliefs or lawful business activities.

I want to thank the teams at the FDIC and the OCC for their efforts in finalizing this rule, and I look forward to its implementation.

Related Link

• Remarks (PDF)