Pub. 12 2021 Issue 1

www.wvbankers.org 14 West Virginia Banker Fair Trade Banking Presents Opportunities for Small and Regional Banks By Alexander L. Turner, Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC R ecently, we have seen a flurry of congressional and executive activity on the issue of nondiscrimination in banking. In October 2020, Senators Warren and Booker, along with other Democratic senators, introduced the Fair Access to Financial Services Act of 2020. This bill seeks to prevent discrimination in banking based on “race, color, religion, national origin, and sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity).” In November 2020, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) issued a proposed rule to promote fair trade banking by prohibiting discrimination against customers who are members of legal but disfavored groups. The Fair Access to Bank Services Rule codifies more than a decade of OCC guidance advising that banks should conduct an individualized risk assessment of customers rather than making broad-based decisions affecting whole categories or classes of customers when provisioning access to services, capital and credit. The OCC finalized the Rule on Jan. 14, 2021, and it was scheduled to take effect on April 1, 2021. One would anticipate that any guidance on nondiscrimination in banking and broadening access to financial services would be applauded and encouraged. Not so with the OCC’s Fair Access to Bank Services Rule. On Dec. 4, 2020, Rep. Maxine Waters, on behalf of the U.S. House Committee on Financial Services, sent a letter to the incoming Biden administration requesting the Fair Access to Banking Services rescission rule. In response, the OCC, on Jan. 28, 2021, paused the pub- lication of the Fair Access to Banking Services rule to “allow the next confirmed Comptroller of the Currency to review the final rule and the public comments the OCC received, as part of an orderly transition.” It is anticipated that the rule eventually will be rescinded. The result is that most large banks will continue to refuse to work with members of legal but disfavored groups. With large banks being placed under increasing pressure to abandon customers who are members of legal but disfavored groups, an opportunity presents itself for small and region- al banks to begin a fair trade banking policy and enter this abandoned market. Fair trade banking is inherently nondis- criminatory because business decisions are based on individ- ualized risk assessments of the customer’s financial strength and not broad generalizations associated with the customers’ membership in legal but disfavored groups. By promoting fair trade banking, small and regional banks may fear increased regulatory oversight. However, the outcome of Operation Choke Point would indicate otherwise. In 2013, the FDIC, OCC, and DOJ launched Operation Choke Point. The operation placed several business categories,