Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) News

Financial Watchdogs Caution on Risks of Marketplace Lending

Hedge funds, banks and insurance companies have recently jumped into “marketplace lending,” drawing the attention of U.S. regulators, who said on Tuesday they are concerned that borrowing by consumers and small businesses through online platforms may pose risks to U.S. …

U.S. Says Judge Nixing MetLife Too-Big-to-Fail Tag ‘Profoundly Mistaken’

The U.S. properly labeled MetLife Inc. as “too big to fail,” the government said, arguing to overturn a ruling that dealt a major blow to efforts to rein in risk in the financial system. A federal judge “was profoundly mistaken” …

MetLife Systemic Risk Battle Not Over as U.S. Files Appeal

The U.S. government on Friday appealed a court decision that major insurer MetLife cannot be considered “too big to fail” in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, according to a filing. U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack …

MetLife Victory Could Push AIG, Pru to Fight Systemic Risk Designations

After regulators slapped the too-big-to-fail label on MetLife Inc., Chief Executive Officer Steve Kandarian had several responses. One was to challenge government watchdogs in court — a move shunned by other insurers that got the TBTF tag. The CEO also …

Court Hears MetLife’s Challenge to ‘Too-Big-to-Fail’ Designation This Week

For MetLife Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Kandarian, the scariest risk is being classified as risky. MetLife lawyers go to court Wednesday seeking to overturn a too-big-to-fail designation in a lawsuit that could, if the insurer prevails, reduce the government’s …

The Struggle Getting U.S. Regulators to Understand Insurance

The designation of MetLife as a systemically important financial institution by the Financial Stability Oversight Council is a done deal. But exactly what that means in terms of higher regulatory standards is still not clear. Those details could come this …

If MetLife Is Tagged As Systemically Risky, Why Isn’t Berkshire Hathaway?

MetLife Inc., the insurer fighting the U.S. government’s decision to label it a potential threat to financial stability, wants to know why Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. has gotten a pass. Documents just released show that question was posed last …

MetLife Cites Foreign Operations to Claim It’s Not a U.S. Financial Firm

MetLife Inc.’s fight to free itself from a costly government label is increasingly focusing on a bold argument: The giant insurer isn’t actually a U.S. financial company. In court papers filed in Washington on Friday, MetLife said it doesn’t meet …

Regulators Want More Details on Insurers’ Living Wills for Bankruptcy

Three major non-bank financial firms need to provide more detail on how they could be unwound in bankruptcy after a collapse, regulators said Tuesday in their first response to the companies’ living wills. The statement by the Federal Reserve and …

MetLife Seeks Documents from Systemic Risk Panel

MetLife asked a federal judge on Monday to force the U.S. government to hand over 500 pages of confidential records that relate to financial regulators’ decision to designate the insurance giant as systemically important. In a filing in U.S. District …