PH FedACTion: Financial Regulatory Updates
Daily Financial Regulation Update -- Saturday, September 25, 2021
September 24, 2021
FedACTion Task Force
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Congress
Click here to view the full text of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (the "CARES Act"), Enacted March 27, 2020.
Click here to view the full text of the Paycheck Protection Program Increase Act of 2020, Enacted April 24, 2020.
Click here to view the full text of the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, Enacted June 5, 2020.
Click here to view the full text of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Enacted December 27, 2020.
Click here to view the full text of the American Rescue Plan of 2021, Enacted March 11, 2021.
Click here to view the full text of the PPP Extension Act of 2021, Enacted March 30, 2021.
Click here to view a running list of proposed legislation from the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, House Committee on Financial Services, and House Committee on Small Business.
U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Small Business
House Passes Bipartisan Small Business Contracting Measures as Part of NDAA
September 24, 2021
The House passed the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes multiple measures to create more opportunities for small businesses in the government contracting space. Committee members advanced numerous bipartisan amendments focused on helping small firms that were included in the final bill.
Federal Agencies
U.S. Department of the Treasury
More than 420,000 Households Received Emergency Rental Assistance in August, Totaling Over $2.3 Billion in Payments
September 24, 2021
The state and local government grantees of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program increased the number of households served to more than 420,000 last month, up from 340,000 in July. More than $2.3 billion in rental assistance was distributed in August, which represents roughly three times the amount spent in May.
Federal Reserve Board
Paper: Trade Policy is Real News: Theory and Evidence
September 24, 2021
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System published a paper titled, "Trade Policy is Real News: Theory and Evidence," evaluating the aggregate effects of changes in trade barriers when these changes can be implemented slowly over time and trade responds gradually to changes in trade barriers because firm-level trade costs make exporting a dynamic decision.
Paper: Why Do We Think That Inflation Expectations Matter for Inflation? (And Should We?)
September 24, 2021
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System published a paper titled, "Why Do We Think that Inflation Expectations Matter for Inflation? (And Should We?)."
Paper: Can the Federal Reserve Effectively Target Main Street? Evidence from the 1970s Recession
September 24, 2021
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System published a paper titled, "Can the Federal Reserve Effective Target Main Street? Evidence from the 1970s Recession."
Paper: Liquidity Provision and Co-insurance in Bank Syndicates
September 24, 2021
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System published a paper titled, "Liquidity Provision and Co-insurance in Bank Syndicates," studying the capacity of the banking system to provide liquidity to the corporate sector in times of stress and how changes in this capacity affect corporate liquidity management.
Speech: Introductory Remarks by Chair Powell at Fed Listens: Perspectives on the Pandemic Recovery
September 24, 2021
Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System Jerome H. Powell gave introductory remarks at "Fed Listens: Perspectives on the Pandemic Recovery."
Federal Reserve Bank of New York
Implications of the Federal Reserve's COVID-19 Facilities
September 24, 2021
In response to the economic dislocations brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York launched a number of facilities and other policy interventions to support market functioning and the flow of credit to households and businesses, in order to bolster American employment and the economy. Nine new Staff Reports focus on those facilities, offering background on the market conditions that led to their establishment, details on the facilities' design, and assessments of their impact.
- COVID Response: The Primary and Secondary Corporate Credit Facilities
- COVID Response: The Municipal Liquidity Facility
- COVID Response: The Main Street Lending Program
- COVID Response: The Fed's Central Bank Swap Lines and FIMA Repo Facility
- COVID Response: The Commercial Paper Funding Facility
- COVID Response: The Primary Dealer Credit Facility
- COVID Response: The Money Market Mutual Fund Facility
- COVID Response: The Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility
- COVID Response: The Paycheck Protection Program Liquidity Facility
Report: Climate Stress Testing
September 24, 2021
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York published a staff report titled, "Climate Stress Testing."
New York Fed to Host Conference on the Implications of Federal Reserve Actions in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
September 24, 2021
On September 30, 2021 and October 1, 2021, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York will host a conference bringing together academics and central bankers to discuss the Federal Reserve's actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference will feature opening and closing remarks from President and Chief Executive Officer, John C. Williams, as well as panelists from the New York Fed, the Federal Reserve Board, the European Central Bank, the Bank for International Settlements, the U.S Department of the Treasury, and several academic institutions.
Underlying Inflation Gauge (UIG)
September 24, 2021
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York published its August Underlying Inflation Gauge (UIG). The UIG captures sustained movements in inflation from information contained in a broad set of price, real activity, and financial data. The UIG for August is currently estimated at 3.8%, unchanged from the previous month.
Blog Post: Have Consumers' Long-Run Inflation Expectations Become Un-Anchored?
September 24, 2021
The Federal Reserve Bank of New York published a Liberty Street Economics blog post titled, "Have Consumers' Long-Run Inflation Expectations Become Un-Anchored?"
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
The Main Street Lending Program
September 24, 2021
The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston published a Current Policy Perspectives article titled, "The Main Street Lending Program," describing the Main Street Lending Program's goals, design, the challenges and constraints that shaped its reach, and the characteristics of its borrowers and lenders.
U.S. Small Business Administration
SBA Administrator Announces New Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Milestone: Supplemental Awards Begin
September 24, 2021
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced the SBA began supplemental award notifications to eligible applicants this week, through the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant (SVOG) program.
SBA Administrator Statement on GAO Findings: PPP Program Increased Lending to Smallest Businesses, Underserved Communities
September 24, 2021
U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman issued a statement in response to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released this week that found that critical changes to the Paycheck Protection Program implemented under her leadership earlier this year had the intended effect of increasing loan access for the smallest and minority-owned businesses that were largely left out of earlier funding.
Federal Housing Finance Agency
FHFA Extends Availability of COVID-19 Multifamily Forbearance
September 24, 2021
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will continue to offer COVID-19 forbearance to qualifying multifamily property owners as needed, subject to the continued tenant protections FHFA has imposed during the pandemic.
Administration Changes
Appointments/Confirmation Hearings
U.S. Department of the Treasury - Janet Yellen (effective January 26, 2021)
- Treasury Announces New U.S. Mint Acting Director (September 24, 2021)
- Treasury Announces Key Staff Appointments (June 14, 2021)
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau - Rohit Chopra (Nominee)
- Acting Director: Dave Uejio (January 20, 2020)
- Confirmation hearing held on March 2, 2021
- Committee approval March 10, 2021
Securities and Exchange Commission - Gary Gensler (effective April 17, 2021)
- Renee Jones to Join SEC as Director of Corporation Finance; John Coates Named SEC General Counsel (June 14, 2021)
- Daniel S. Kahl Appointed Acting Director of the Division of Examinations; Peter B. Driscoll to Depart Agency (July 14, 2021)
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency – Saule Omarova (Nominee)
- Statement on Saule Omarova's Nomination by Senate Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown (September 23, 2021)
- Statement on Saule Omarova's Nomination by Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Pat Toomey (September 24, 2021)
Small Business Administration - Isabella Casillas Guzman (effective March 16, 2021)
- Small Business Committee Advances SBA Deputy Administrator Nominee Dilawar Syed (June 17, 2021)
- U.S. Small Business Administration Announces Key Staff (August 18, 2021)
Commodity Futures Trade Commission
- Acting Chair: Rostin Behnam (January 21, 2021)
- Rostin Behnam, Nominee for Chair and Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (September 13, 2021)
- Kristin Johnson, Nominee for Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (September 13, 2021)
- Christy Goldsmith Romero, Nominee for Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (September 13, 2021)
Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
National Credit Union Administration - Todd M. Harper
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - Marcia Fudge (effective March 10, 2021)
Federal Housing Finance Agency
U.S. Department of Education - Dr. Miguel Cardona (effective March 2, 2021)
- U.S. Department of Education Announces More Biden-Harris Appointees (June 14, 2021)
- Statement by Secretary Cardona on Nomination of Sandra Bruce as Inspector General (June 14, 2021)
- Statement by U.S. Secretary of Education Cardona on President Biden's Nomination of Amy Loyd (August 12, 2021)
- Statement by Secretary Cardona on Confirmation of James Kvaal as Under Secretary of Education (September 14, 2021)