Federal Reserve Bank
of San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank
of San Francisco

Supervision in Brief

This publication offers observations by the Head of Supervision of Financial Institution Supervision and Credit (FISC) on current banking and regulatory issues facing 12th District institutions.

  • New Vice Chair Barr Talks Existing and Emerging Risks

    This July, the Federal Reserve System welcomed its new Vice Chair for Supervision, Michael Barr. Since then, the Supervision + Credit (S+C) group at the SF Fed has worked diligently with our Board colleagues to inform his agenda and priorities, which he recently delivered at The Brookings Institution.

  • Monitoring the Changing Landscape in an Ongoing Recovery

    As we come out of more than two years of weathering the effects of the pandemic, Twelfth District banking and economic conditions continue to show signs of recovery. However, we are monitoring financial conditions as the economy normalizes while noting a changing interest rate environment and potential headwinds from geopolitical tensions and uncertainty around the…

  • Examination Activity During COVID-19

    We are ready to restart examination activity and have issued interagency guidance for safety and soundness (SR 20-15). This guidance recognizes that external events such as COVID-19 can have an adverse impact on a financial institution’s condition that may not be reflective of management’s efforts to mitigate these risks. The interagency guidance instructs examiners to…

  • Plans and actions to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19)

    As we address the unique and challenging circumstances of the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco is focused on carrying out our important responsibilities through continuity of operations, while being mindful of the safety and well-being of everyone affected. Our top priority is the health and well-being of our employees, communities, and…

  • An Increasing Focus on Nonfinancial Risks

    The overall financial health of the industry has allowed bankers and bank supervisors alike to better assess and understand a number of increasing nonfinancial risks, such as cyber security, cloud usage, and data governance. To expand our knowledge and deepen our thinking in this area, our fintech team recently partnered with FinRegLab to host a…

  • Hard Policy Challenges Exist Amid Positive Banking Conditions

    Tracy Basinger, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

    This issue of Supervision in Brief discusses three topics that arose during a recent Western Bankers Association roundtable at our Los Angeles branch. While banking conditions remain very positive overall, our conversations at the roundtable revealed that banking and financial services still face a number of challenging and complex policy issues. These include CECL adoption,…

  • Fed Leadership Changes and Regulatory Reform Will Shape Our Supervisory Agenda

    Tracy Basinger, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

    This issue of Supervision in Brief commends John Williams, outgoing San Francisco Fed president and chief executive officer, for his leadership and legacy as he prepares to assume the presidency of the New York Fed. We also provide details on the San Francisco Fed’s presidential search process and offer an online resource to follow the…

  • December 2017: Growth and the Importance of a Longer-term View of Today’s Decisions

    Tracy Basinger, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco

    This issue of Supervision in Brief summarizes the latest economic and banking conditions within the 12th District. We note strong but moderating growth in jobs, housing prices, loans, and improvements in earnings. We also feature recent discussions in Community Banking Connections on CRE concentrations and risk management, and highlight commentary on bank efficiency efforts and…

  • August 2017: Introducing Tracy Basinger

    Tracy Basinger was appointed executive vice president and director of the Financial Institution Supervision and Credit Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on July 1, 2017. In this special first issue of Supervision in Brief, her quarterly newsletter to bankers in the 12th District, she provides highlights on her background and offers…