Community Banks Exempted from the Volker Rule

Community Banks Exempted from the Volker Rule

The Federal Reserve Board, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and the Securities and Exchange Commission announced yesterday that they adopted a final rule to exclude community banks from the Volcker Rule, consistent with the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act.

Section 619 of the Dodd-Frank Act, commonly known as the Volcker Rule, prohibits banks from engaging in proprietary trading and from investing in or sponsoring hedge funds or private equity funds. Under the final rule, which is unchanged from the proposal, community banks with $10 billion or less in total consolidated assets and total trading assets and liabilities of 5 percent or less of total consolidated assets are excluded from the Volcker Rule.

The final rule also permits a hedge fund or private equity fund, under certain circumstances, to share the same name or a variation of the same name with an investment adviser as long as the adviser is not an insured depository institution, a company that controls an insured depository institution, or a bank holding company.

For more information, please contact Braden Perry at [email protected] or visit www.kennyhertzperry.com.

About Kennyhertz Perry’s Financial Services Practice Group

Kennyhertz Perry integrates broad regulatory expertise, including compliance and enforcement, with the transactional practices to which that expertise is critical. We are called upon by businesses who need help navigating current and future regulatory challenges stemming from the global financial crisis. To assist our clients in understanding the issues that will affect their industries, entities and transactions, we understand the impact of regulations and requirements of both The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and a wide variety of U.S. and foreign regulatory reforms targeting investment business and market structures, alternative investment fund managers, private equity and others, central clearing and exchange-trading of derivatives, market abuse and insider dealing, capital regimes, and commodity derivatives.

Kennyhertz Perry attorneys also have broad BSA/AML experience across the spectrum of bank and non-bank financial institutions. These include traditional chartered banks, broker-dealers, commodity trading advisors, money transmitters, non-bank lenders, and virtual currency businesses. We are experienced in counseling and drafting BSA/AML practices, policies, and procedures. Our combined knowledge and skill permit us to anticipate potential problems before they become serious issues and assist clients in responding effectively to regulatory and law enforcement criticisms or inquiries.

Kennyhertz Perry regularly counsels lenders, investment advisers, broker-dealers, and fund managers on the laws, rules, and regulatory developments affecting their business, including regulatory requirements, risk management, licensing and registration, sales and marketing practices and materials, manuals and training, day-to-day compliance.

About Kennyhertz Perry, LLC

Kennyhertz Perry, LLC is a business and litigation law firm representing clients in highly regulated industries. The firm was founded by two veteran Kansas City attorneys, John Kennyhertz and Braden Perry. To learn more about the firm, visit kennyhertzperry.com.

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