Intelligence

Fund administration extends beyond operational tasks to become a strategic asset throughout your fund's lifecycle. From launch decisions that shape future efficiency to exit readiness and wind-down obligations, strong administrative infrastructure supports growth, investor confidence, and long-term operational resilience across every phase of fund management.

The FDIC and Federal Reserve have issued proposed rules addressing state bank parity, merger procedures, and stablecoin regulation, while the Federal Reserve finalizes stress test changes to enhance transparency and reduce capital volatility. These regulatory developments reshape the landscape for interstate banking operations, merger transactions, and digital asset activities for financial institutions.

Federal banking regulators have proposed significant revisions to third-party risk management guidance, shifting from prescriptive requirements to a flexible, risk-based framework that gives banks greater discretion in managing vendor relationships. The proposal addresses longstanding concerns about the 2023 guidance being too rigid and includes a companion statement on community banks' relationships with core service providers.

The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) has taken its long-running opposition to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) chartering of cryptocurrency companies to the courts.

A proposed class action in North Carolina alleges that payment processors systematically charged small businesses undisclosed monthly "junk fees" for services like PCI compliance. This case represents a potential shift in merchant-processor disputes, as plaintiffs attempt to leverage consumer-focused pricing transparency laws and expanded unfair trade practice statutes to challenge business-to-business fee practices that have traditionally been litigated solely as contract disputes.

In a typical secured finance transaction, a Farm Credit System lender will require its agricultural borrower and other loan parties to execute a security agreement and file UCC-1 financing statements covering the applicable personal property collateral.