By Doris Quiros, Senior Vice President
Supervision, Regulation, and Credit
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Allow me to introduce myself—I’m Doris Quiros, the new senior vice president for Supervision, Regulation, and Credit (SRC). I began my career as an analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 1991, moved to the Atlanta Fed in 1996, and served in various areas of the Bank before joining SRC in 2013 as an assistant vice president in Credit and Risk Management, which includes the Discount Window. In 2016, I joined SRC’s senior leadership team.
I am thrilled to have this opportunity to lead our supervisory efforts in the Sixth District. Mike Johnson is a tough act to follow—fortunately he's been an excellent mentor and built a great team! I'm looking forward to working with you and hearing your thoughts on opportunities and conditions in the District—I believe open communication with the institutions we supervise is a very important part of fulfilling our mission.
This time last quarter, it seemed we were reaching a new normal. But since then, COVID case rates have increased, and labor shortages and supply chain issues are hampering some businesses’ abilities to resume full operations, which are critical to recovering from the economic impact of the pandemic. At the same time, foreclosure and eviction moratoriums are expiring and some government assistance programs are ending. The ongoing uncertainty related to the pandemic requires us to remain vigilant, focused on developing trends, and agile in our response to changing circumstances.
State of the District
Fortunately, the industry has so far weathered the current crisis relatively well, due in part to regulatory relief and various assistance programs. In the second quarter, earnings for community banks in the District continued to rebound, as the median return on average assets rose to 1.10 percent, the same return reported in the fourth quarter of 2019, before the pandemic hit. Overall, nonperforming assets (made up of loans past due 30 days or more, as well as nonaccrual loans) represent less than 1 percent of total assets. You can see more information on second quarter results in our regular feature, State of the District.
Outreach
We are committed to providing information on issues of the day and the changing regulatory landscape. As noted below, there are several outreach events coming up that we think you’ll find particularly interesting. We hope you’ll take advantage of these programs.
- The latest episode of the Economy Matters podcast features a discussion between two Atlanta Fed fintech and payments experts. The episode provides some insights into cryptocurrency, fintech guidance, and payments innovations such as “buy now, pay later.”
- We’ll hold our second real estate webinar—“Commercial Real Estate: The Good, the Bad, and the Risky” with subject matter expert Brian Bailey—on October 20 at 2 p.m. (ET). You can watch an archive of our first webinar, a residential real estate market update by subject matter expert Domonic Purviance.
- For more information on fintechs and payments, please join us for a special series titled A Conversation on Service Provider Partnerships. Panelists will explore opportunities, rewards, and hurdles to overcome in establishing effective partnerships between community banks and their service providers. The first session was held on September 27, and the second session will be on Tuesday, October 5, at 2:30 p.m. (ET). Registration is open now at askthefed.org.
- Finally, mark your calendars for the 2022 Banking Outlook Conference, whose theme is “Finding Purpose in the Current Environment.” It will be held virtually on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Digital banking and currencies, the supervisory environment, and an update on housing are on the agenda.
Regulatory update
Here is some information on recent regulatory developments from the Board of Governors:
- In July, the Federal Reserve announced it would release a new tool to help community banks implement the Current Expected Credit Losses accounting standard.
- In July, the Federal Reserve Board announced its commitment to working with other regulators to jointly strengthen and modernize regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act.
- In August, banking regulators released a guide intended to help community banks assess risks when considering relationships with financial technology companies.
- In September, federal bank regulators announced an extension of the comment period on proposed guidance designed to help banking organizations manage risks associated with third-party relationships.
- In September, the Federal Reserve Board published a paper describing the landscape of partnerships between community banks and fintech companies.
As always, we welcome your comments or questions. Please share your feedback at ViewPoint@atl.frb.org.
Doris Quiros
Executive Vice President, Supervision, Regulation, & Credit
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta