ABA Business Law Section to host banking law conference, Jan. 5-7 in Washington, D.C.

Adam Szubin, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Department of Treasury, will deliver keynote remarks during the American Bar Association Business Law Section 2017 Banking Law Committee Meeting, Jan. 5-7 in Washington, D.C.

Szubin will open the conference with his keynote address from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 6, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel. He leads the policy, enforcement, regulatory and intelligence functions of the Treasury Department aimed at identifying and disrupting the lines of financial support to international terrorist organizations, proliferators of weapons of mass destruction, narcotics traffickers and other actors posing a threat to our national security or foreign policy.

Also on Friday, Michael Piwowar, a Republican commissioner with the Securities and Exchange Commission appointed by President Obama in 2013, will be the keynote luncheon speaker from 12:15-1:45 p.m.
Program highlights include:

Friday

• “Agency General Counsels Discussion” — This interactive panel will review the most critical issues facing the banking agencies, as well as reporting on recent interpretive letters, rulemakings or enforcement actions. Panelists include Scott Alvarez, general counsel, Federal Reserve Board; Amy Friend, chief counsel, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; Mary McLeod, general counsel, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; and Charles Yi, general counsel, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

• “Authorized Activities for Banks and FHCs – An Era of Expansion or Contraction?” — This panel will explore recent initiatives to pare back permissible activities for banks and bank holding companies, including recommendations contained in the recent “Dodd-Frank Section 620” interagency report to Congress and a proposal by the Federal Reserve to substantially increase capital requirements on nonfinancial physical commodity-related activities (and related efforts to limit merchant banking authority), among others. The panel will also assess prospects for future changes to permissible activities in light of the new Trump Administration and anticipated legislative reforms. Panelists include Ted Dowd, director, Securities and Corporate Practices Division, Office of the Comptroller of the Currency; and Will Giles, senior counsel, Federal Reserve Board.

Saturday

• “Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Update and Outlook” — Panelists will discuss recent CFPB enforcement trends and rulemakings, as well as the outlook for the CFPB following the November election. Speakers are: Nessa Feddis, senior vice president and deputy chief counsel for consumer protection and payments, American Bankers Association; Andrew Miller, managing chief counsel and SVP of regulatory policy, PNC Financial Services Group Inc.; Eric Mogilnicki, partner, Covington & Burlington LLP; and Meghan S. Musselman, partner, Hudson Cook, LLP.

• “View From The Hill” — This panel will review the 2016 legislative year, including discussing legislation considered by Congress and congressional hearings of importance to the financial services industry. The panel will also discuss how Congress’ priorities will change under the new Trump administration and what types of financial services legislation the new Congress is likely to consider. Speakers include Graham Steel, chief counsel for the Minority, Senate Banking Committee; and Jelena McWilliams, chief counsel for the Majority, Senate Banking Committee.