Overview:
In this assignment, you will review the various enforcement actions the Federal banking agencies can take against banks, separate those that are made public from those that are not, and consider if the Federal banking agencies have achieved the appropriate balance between transparency (public disclosure) and confidentiality (not disclosed).
Instructions:
Under current practice, the Federal banking agencies make certain matters public such as significant enforcement actions against banks and their holding companies and banks’ Community Reinvestment Act ratings. Other matters like banks’ and bank holding companies’ supervisory ratings, matters requiring attention, written agreements, and resolutions that a regulator requires a bank or bank holding company to adopt are not made public and are not subject to Freedom of Information Act disclosure requests. Please write a 2-3 page essay indicating whether or not you think the Federal banking agencies struck the right balance on the transparency vs. confidentiality spectrum, or should more or less information about supervisory matters involving a bank or its holding company be disclosed to the public? Provide policy and/or factual arguments in support of your position.
