Banking

At the turn of 2017, the U.S. environment was best described as unsettled and uncertain. With the unexpected election results, President Trump entered Washington with a stance that “excessive rulemaking strangles economic growth” and a promise of change from the political norm.[1] Change is difficult. Many of the plans have been executed more slowly or differently than expected, sustaining the underlying climate of uncertainty. As we approach the close of the year, however, the pace of change seems to be picking up.

The world around us is in a constant state of change and moving at a pace that has never been seen before. Adaptation is vital to remain relevant in this type of environment. We all know of examples of companies and industries that failed to anticipate and adapt to changing technology and quickly became or are becoming obsolete—Blockbuster, Kodak and the taxi industry to name a few. Whether it was a lack of vision or a lack of belief that change could happen, we certainly do not want to find ourselves on this list.

As is always the case, July brings the distraction of long-awaited summer vacations. This year in particular, there has been much talk about how (or if) Congress will balance summer recess and their pressing responsibilities related to changing legislation. Though media has zeroed in on the important Healthcare Reform bill, other topics—notably, the Financial Reform bill and its keystone Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)—also are demanding attention from Congressional agendas. 

Internal audit (IA) is more often than not viewed as a ‘check the box’ exercise on a compliance to-do list. While it’s true that banks do have to perform set IA tasks, limiting your work to what’s required not only could leave your institution vulnerable, it could diminish the value of an otherwise highly valuable effort.

The first three weeks of the Trump presidency have been full of activity. Within President Trump’s first few hours in office, he was signing executive orders, and he does not appear to be slowing down any time soon. On February 3rd, he signed an order that directs the Secretary of the Treasury to review the Dodd-Frank financial oversight law and report his recommendations.

As the 2016 Presidential debates begin in earnest, scrutiny is intensifying around a number of issues that will have a significant impact on banks. One of these is the possible repeal of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (aka Dodd-Frank).