A Closer Look At U.S. Credit Risk Retention Rules

In a flurry of regulatory actions on October 21 and 22, 2014, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the "FDIC"), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (the "FHFA"), and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (collectively, the "Joint Regulators") each adopted a final rule (the "Final Rule") implementing the credit risk retention requirements of section 941 of the Dodd-Frank Act for asset-backed securities ("ABS"). The section 941 requirements were intended to ensure that securitizers generally have "skin in the game" with respect to securitized loans and other assets.