Bernanke backs tough thrift rules

The Federal Reserve appears to be reiterating that it will use “bank-centric” standards abhorred by the insurance industry in regulating insurance companies which operate thrifts — although some industry trade groups are disputing that interpretation.

Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said the Fed must use bank-centric standards “to meet the legal requirement” imposed by the Dodd-Frank financial services reform that it apply consolidated capital requirements to savings and loan holding companies.

Bernanke’s views were made in a letter was sent to 24 senators Feb. 6 by Bernanke and obtained by the National Underwriter.

In an investors note, Ryan Schoen, et al, at Washington Analysis, said the letter “bolsters our view” that large insurers will find it prudent to exit savings and loan holding company status to avoid the strict Basel III capital rules.

Schoen, et al, interpreted the letter as saying that the Fed interprets Sec. 171 of the DFA as requiring the Fed to subject insurance companies structured as S&L holding companies to consolidated risk-based capital requirements that cover subsidiaries and non-insurance affiliates.

The letter said that Sec. 171 requires the agencies to apply consolidated minimum risk-based and leverage capital requirements for depository institution holding companies, savings and loan holding companies “that are no less than the generally applicable capital requirements that apply to insured depository institutions under the prompt corrective action framework.”

Schoen interpreted Bernanke’s letter as saying that Sec. 171 “explicitly requires that the Fed subject savings and loan holding companies – the current structure of many large insurers – to minimum leverage and risk-based capital rules. 

Bernanke included this in the letter despite concerns voiced by both members of the House and Senate that thrifts owned by insurance companies should have their consolidated regulation structured to recognize that their non-thrift operating subsidiaries are subject to oversight through statutory accounting principles, and not Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, which govern bank accounting standards.

This point was made through congressional testimony by both life and property and casualty insurers, including TIAA-CREF and State Farm, and through “numerous” comment letters to the Fed, as stated by Bernanke in his letter.

Moreover, the chief financial officers of eight insurance companies, including Prudential, TIAA-CREF and the Principal, say that the proposal, if adopted, would require all insurance organizations subject to the Fed’s supervision, “regardless of size, to meet new minimum capital requirements when the rules are promulgated.”

Other signatories include Nationwide, Mutual of Omaha and USAA, as well as two small thrifts operated by farm-based cooperatives, Country Financial and the Westfield Group.

Schoen added, “While the Fed acknowledged these concerns, it pointed to its requirement under Dodd-Frank to develop consolidated capital requirements at the holding company level, citing Section 171 of the law (the Collins Amendment) that explicitly requires that the Fed subject S&L holding companies – the current structure of many large insurers – to minimum leverage and risk-based capital rules.”

But Dave Snyder and Jim Olsen, vice presidents at the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, argue that language at the bottom of the letter saying that the concerns voiced by the insurance industry and members of Congress will be taken into account when the Fed imposes the standards, which Schoen says will likely not be until late this year, “at the earliest.”