SCHWAB CHARLES CORP
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Feb 23, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Feb 23, 2024
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Regulation
As a participant in the securities, banking and financial services industries, Schwab is subject to extensive regulation under both federal and state laws by governmental agencies, supervisory authorities, and self-regulatory organizations (SROs). We are also subject to oversight by regulatory bodies in other countries in which we operate. These regulations affect our business operations and impose capital, client protection, and market conduct requirements.
Holding Company and Bank Regulation
CSC is a savings and loan holding company and is regulated, supervised, and examined by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve). On March 16, 2021, CSC’s declaration electing to be treated as a Financial Holding Company (FHC) was deemed effective by the Federal Reserve. In addition to the activities that a savings and loan holding
- 6 - company that has not elected to be treated as an FHC is permitted to conduct, an FHC may also engage in activities that are financial in nature or incidental to a financial activity (FHC Activities), including underwriting, dealing and making markets in securities, various insurance underwriting activities, and making merchant banking investments in non-financial companies.
The Federal Reserve has the authority to limit an FHC’s ability to conduct otherwise permissible FHC Activities if the FHC or any of its depository institution subsidiaries ceases to meet the applicable eligibility requirements, including requirements that the FHC and each of its depository institution subsidiaries maintain their status as “well-capitalized” and “well-managed.” If the Federal Reserve finds that an FHC fails to meet these requirements, the FHC and its subsidiaries may not commence any new FHC Activity, either de novo or through an acquisition, without prior Federal Reserve approval. The Federal Reserve may also impose any additional limitations or conditions on the conduct or activities of the FHC or any of its subsidiaries as it deems appropriate. If the FHC still fails to satisfy the applicable eligibility requirements 180 days after the Federal Reserve’s finding, the agency may require divestiture of all of the FHC’s depository institution subsidiaries or, alternatively, the FHC may elect to cease all of its FHC Activities. In addition, if any depository institution controlled by an FHC fails to maintain at least a “Satisfactory” rating under the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA), the FHC and its subsidiaries are prohibited from engaging in additional FHC Activities. As a result of our election to be treated as an FHC and the election of ourdepository institution subsidiariesto be deemed savings associations under the Home Owners’ Loan Act (HOLA), a statutory prohibition limits those subsidiaries from making loans or other extensions of credit to any affiliate unless that affiliate engages, directly or indirectly, only in activities permissible under section 4(c) of the Bank Holding Company Act (BHC Act).
CSC’s three depository institution subsidiaries are CSB, CSC’s principal depository institution subsidiary, Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB (CSPB), and Trust Bank. CSB and CSPB are Texas-chartered savings banks headquartered in Westlake, Texas, and Trust Bank is a Nevada-chartered savings bank. Effective September 30, 2022, Trust Bank relocated its main office to Westlake, Texas and became a member of the Federal Reserve system. CSB and CSPB are currently regulated, supervised, and examined by the Federal Reserve, the Texas Department of Savings and Mortgage Lending (TDSML), the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Trust Bank is currently regulated, supervised, and examined by the Federal Reserve, the Nevada Financial Institutions Division, the CFPB, and the FDIC. CSC, CSB, CSPB, and Trust Bank are also subject to regulation and various requirements and restrictions under state and other federal laws.
This regulatory framework is designed to protect depositors and consumers, the safety and soundness of depository institutions and their holding companies, and the stability of the banking system as a whole. This framework affects the activities and investments of CSC and its subsidiaries and gives the regulatory authorities broad discretion in connection with their supervisory, examination and enforcement activities and policies. Below is a discussion of significant regulations.
Regulatory Capital and Liquidity Framework
Banking organizations are subject to the regulatory capital rules issued by the Federal Reserve and other U.S. banking regulators, including the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC. In addition to minimum risk-based capital requirements, banking organizations must hold additional capital, referred to as buffers, to avoid being subject to limits on capital distributions and discretionary bonus payments to executive officers.
The banking regulators have established four risk-based categories for determining the regulatory capital and liquidity requirements applicable to large U.S. banking organizations with $100 billion or more in total consolidated assets based on their total assets, cross-jurisdictional activity, weighted short-term wholesale funding, nonbank assets, and off-balance sheet exposure. CSC is generally subject to the requirements under Category III based on its total consolidated assets of between $250 billion and less than $700 billion and having less than $75 billion in cross-jurisdictional activity. If the average of our total consolidated assets for the four most recent calendar quarters is $700 billion or more, or the average of our cross-jurisdictional activity for the four most recent calendar quarters is $75 billion or more, we will move into Category II. As of December 31, 2023, CSC had total consolidated assets of approximately $493 billion and cross-jurisdictional activity of approximately $25 billion.
Capital requirements for Category III banking organizations include the generally applicable risk-based capital and Tier 1 leverage ratio requirements (the “standardized approach” framework), the minimum 3.0% supplementary leverage ratio, the stress capital buffer (CSC), the capital conservation buffer (banking subsidiaries), and the countercyclical capital buffer, which is currently 0%. As discussed below, starting in 2022, CSC, as a large savings and loan holding company became subject to the stress capital buffer requirement, which applies to risk-based capital ratios (Common Equity Tier 1 Capital, Tier 1 Capital, and Total Capital). Under the currently applicable revised capital requirements, Category III organizations are not subject to the “advanced approaches” regulatory capital framework and are permitted to opt out of including accumulated other comprehensive income (AOCI) in their regulatory capital calculations. CSC made this opt out election and excludes AOCI from its regulatory
- 7 - capital. Category II organizations are not permitted to opt out of including AOCI in their regulatory capital calculations and have additional requirements for calculating risk-based capital ratios and risk-weighted assets.
In July 2023, the Federal Reserve, together with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC, issued a notice of proposed rulemaking with amendments to the regulatory capital rules. Among other things, the proposed rules would require us to include AOCI in regulatory capitalandto calculate our risk-weighted assets using a revised risk-based approach, a component of which is based on operational risk, phased in over a three-year transition period beginning July 1, 2025 and ending July 1, 2028. See Part II – Item 7 – Current Regulatory and Other Developments and Part II – Item 7 – Capital Management for additional information on these proposed regulatory changes.
Certain banking organizations with trading assets and trading liabilities above certain thresholds or greater than a certain percent of total assets are subject to the Market Risk Rule and must adjust their risk-based capital ratios to reflect a measure of market risk of their trading activities, perform calculations to measure market risk, including back-testing, and make regular quantitative and qualitative public disclosures. CSC is subject to the ruleand the related Market Risk Rule required disclosures. CSC began incorporating market risk capital for the period ending December 31, 2022, and while CSC is required to make adjustments to its risk-weighted assets related to de minimis positions, those adjustments have not significantly impacted our risk-based capital ratios nor have they had a current impact on CSC’s activities.
The U.S. Liquidity Coverage Ratio (LCR) rule is designed to promote resiliency of the banking sector by requiring that certain large U.S. banking organizations (Covered Companies) maintain a liquidity risk profile which ensures that they have sufficient High Quality Liquid Assets (HQLA), such as central bank reserves, certain government securities, and eligible corporate debt that can be converted easily and quickly to cash, to survive a significant stress event lasting 30 days. The LCR rule requires Covered Companies, including Schwab, to maintain an amount of HQLA that are unencumbered and controlled by the Covered Company’s liquidity management function sufficient to meet a designated percentage of their total stressed net cash outflows over a prospective 30 calendar-day period, as calculated in accordance with the LCR rule. Schwab is subject to the LCR and public disclosure requirement on a consolidated basis. On a quarterly basis the Company is required to disclose the average daily LCR over the quarter, and the Company also discloses quantitative and qualitative information over certain portions of the Company’s LCR components. Under the LCR rule, Schwab is required to maintain HQLA to cover 100% of the total stressed net cash outflows on a daily basis. In addition, HQLA that are held at the Company’s bank subsidiaries in excess of the subsidiaries’ total net cash outflows, and are not transferable to non-bank affiliates, are excluded by rule from the Company’s eligible HQLA.
The final Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR) rule was jointly adopted by the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, and FDIC in 2020 to strengthen the resilience of large bank and savings and loan holding companies by requiring them to maintain a minimum level of stable funding based on the liquidity characteristics of the holding company’s assets, commitments, and derivative exposures over a one-year time horizon. The requirement is expressed as a ratio of a banking organization’s available stable funding (ASF) to its required stable funding (RSF). Under the NSFR rule, Schwab is required to maintain ASF in an amount equal to 100% of its RSF on an ongoing, daily basis. Beginning with the first and second quarters of 2023, banking organizations subject to the rule are required to publicly disclose their quarterly NSFRs on a semi-annual basis.
Capital Stress Testing
Under the current Federal Reserve capital stress testing rules, savings and loan holding companies that are Category III banking organizations and state member banks with total consolidated assets over $250 billion are required to disclose the results of company-run stress tests in even-numbered years. In the most recent cycle in 2022, CSC and CSB conducted company-run stress tests, reported the results of their stress testing to the Federal Reserve, and published a summary of their stress test results.
Pursuant to the Federal Reserve’s requirements, Category III savings and loan holding companies are also subject to an annual supervisory stress testing requirement in which the Federal Reserve conducts its own stress testing analysis to evaluate the ability of a holding company to absorb losses in specified economic and financial conditions over a nine-quarter planning horizon using such analytical techniques as the agency determines are appropriate. This supervisory stress testing requirement went into effect for CSC beginning with the 2022 stress testing cycle.
Pursuant to the Federal Reserve’s 2021 rule, savings and loan holding companies with total consolidated assets of $100 billion or more, including CSC, are subject to an annual Comprehensive Capital Analysis and Review (CCAR) process, which requires submission of an annual capital plan to the Federal Reserve. The rule also imposes a stress capital buffer requirement, floored at 2.5 percent of risk-weighted assets, that replaced CSC’s 2.5 percent capital conservation buffer. The capital plan requirement became effective for CSC with the 2022 CCAR cycle, and in June 2022, the Company received the results of the Federal
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Reserve’s 2022 CCAR. These results included the Federal Reserve’s estimate of CSC’s minimum capital ratios under the supervisory severely adverse scenario for the nine-quarter horizon beginning December 31, 2021 and ending March 31, 2024. Based on these results, CSC’s calculated stress capital buffer was below the 2.5% minimum, resulting in a stress capital buffer at the 2.5% floor. This 2.5% stress capital buffer became applicable on October 1, 2022. Based on the results of the Federal Reserve’s 2023 CCAR, a 2.5% stress capital buffer continues to be applicable to Schwab for the four-quarter period that began October 1, 2023. See Part II – Item 8 – Note 23 for additional information regarding our capital requirements.
Additional Enhanced Prudential Standards
In addition to the capital stress testing regime discussed above, the Federal Reserve’s enhanced prudential standards rules also extend the applicability of certain additional enhanced prudential standards to large savings and loan holding companies, with the specific requirements tailored based on the same four-category framework utilized in the interagency regulatory capital and liquidity rules. These additional enhanced prudential standards, applicable to large U.S. bank holding companies under section 165 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), include: risk management and risk committee requirements; liquidity risk management, stress testing, and buffer requirements; and single counterparty credit limits. CSC was required to comply with these risk management and risk committee requirements, as well as the liquidity risk-management, stress testing, and buffer requirements commencing on January 1, 2021. The single counterparty credit limits went into effect for CSC on January 1, 2022.
In August 2023, the Federal Reserve, together with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC, issued a proposed rulemaking on long-term debt requirements for certain large banking organizations. See Part II – Item 7 – Current Regulatory and Other Developments for discussion of the rule proposal.
Source of Strength
The Dodd-Frank Act codified the Federal Reserve’s long-held position that a depository institution holding company must serve as a source of financial strength for its subsidiary depository institutions, the so-called “source of strength doctrine.” In effect, the holding company may be compelled to commit resources to support the subsidiary depository institution in the event the subsidiary is in financial distress.
Insured Depository Institution Resolution Plans
The FDIC requires insured depository institutions with total consolidated assets of $50 billion or more to submit to the FDIC periodic plans providing for their resolution by the FDIC in the event of failure (resolution plans or so-called “living wills”) under the receivership and liquidation provisions of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Under this requirement, CSB has been required to file with the FDIC a periodic resolution plan demonstrating how the bank could be resolved in an orderly and timely manner in the event of receivership such that the FDIC would be able to: ensure that the bank’s depositors receive access to their deposits within one business day; maximize the net present value of the bank’s assets when disposed of; and minimize losses incurred by the bank’s creditors. In June 2021, the FDIC announced a modified resolution plan approach for insured depository institutions with total consolidated assets of $100 billion or more which established a three-year cycle submission frequency, streamlined content requirements, and placed enhanced emphasis on engagement with firms. CSB most recently submitted a resolution plan pursuant to these requirements in November 2022. In August 2023, the FDIC issued a proposal to revise its rule on insured depository institution resolution planning. The proposal would revise the requirements regarding the content and timing of resolution submissions. Covered insured depository institutions would be required to file their respective resolution plans or informational filings biennially with supplemental information to be provided in off-years, starting in 2025 if the rule is finalized as proposed. As a savings and loan holding company, CSC is not subject to a separate holding company resolution plan requirement.
Deposit Insurance Assessments
The FDIC’s Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) provides insurance coverage for certain deposits, generally up to $250,000 per depositor per account ownership type, and is funded by quarterly assessments on insured depository institutions. The FDIC uses a risk-based deposit premium assessment system that, for large insured depository institutions with at least $10 billion in total consolidated assets, uses a scorecard method based on a number of factors, including the institution’s regulatory ratings, asset quality and brokered deposits. The deposit insurance assessment base is calculated as average consolidated total assets minus average tangible equity.
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In October 2022, the FDIC adopted a final rule to increase the initial base deposit insurance assessment rates by two basis points, which became effective for the first quarterly assessment period of 2023. The FDIC has stated that this change is intended to raise the FDIC’s DIF reserve ratio to the minimum threshold within the FDIC’s established DIF restoration plan, and will remain in effect until the DIF reserve ratio meets the FDIC’s long-term goal of 2%. In November 2023, the FDIC approved a special assessment to recover losses incurred by the DIF in 2023; see Part II – Item 7 – Current Regulatory and Other Developments for additional information regarding the special assessment.
Brokered Deposits
The FDIC’s amended brokered deposits rule became effective April 1, 2021, which established a new framework for determining whether deposits made through arrangements between third parties and depository institutions constitute brokered deposits and more specifically to clarify the circumstances under which broker-dealers that place deposits with depository institutions through brokerage sweep arrangements, such as CS&Co and TDAC, qualify for the “primary purpose exception” from the definition of a deposit broker. Under this framework, the FDIC established a “25 percent” business relationship designated exception where a broker-dealer or other third-party may qualify for the primary purpose exception by filing a notice with the FDIC indicating that less than 25 percent of its customer assets under administration for a particular business line are placed at depository institutions. Funds swept by our broker-dealer subsidiaries to CSB and Schwab’s other depository institution subsidiaries continue to qualify for the primary purpose exception under this framework.
Community Reinvestment Act
The CRA requires the primary federal bank regulatory agency for each of Schwab’s depository institution subsidiaries to assess the subsidiary’s record in meeting the credit needs of the communities served by the bank, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods and persons. Institutions are assigned one of four ratings (“outstanding,” “satisfactory,” “needs to improve,” or “substantial noncompliance”). The failure of an institution to receive at least a “satisfactory” rating could inhibit the institution or its holding company from undertaking certain activities, including acquisitions or opening branch offices. In October 2023, the Federal Reserve, together with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC, issued a final rule that makes extensive revisions to the regulations implementing the CRA. See Part II – Item 7 – Current Regulatory and Other Developments for additional information.
Volcker Rule
CSC and its subsidiaries are subject to the Volcker Rule, which generally prohibits proprietary trading or acquiring or retaining an ownership interest in, sponsoring, or having certain relationships with hedge funds and private equity funds, subject to certain exemptions, in each case as the applicable terms are defined in the Volcker Rule and the implementing regulations.
Consumer Financial Protection
The CFPB has broad rulemaking, supervisory and enforcement authority for a wide range of federal consumer protection laws relating to financial products. The CFPB has examination and primary enforcement authority over depository institutions with $10 billion or more in consolidated total assets.
Financial Services Regulation
Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 and USA PATRIOT Act of 2001
CSC and its subsidiaries that conduct financial services activities are subject to the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 (BSA), as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, which requires financial institutions to develop and implement programs reasonably designed to achieve compliance with these regulations. The BSA and USA PATRIOT Act include a variety of monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting requirements (such as currency transaction reporting and suspicious activity reporting), as well as identity verification and client due diligence requirements which are intended to detect, report and/or prevent money laundering and the financing of terrorism. In addition, CSC and various subsidiaries of the Company are subject to U.S. sanctions programs administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
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Broker-Dealer, Futures Commission Merchant (FCM), Forex Dealer Member (FDM), and Investment Advisor Regulation
Our principal broker-dealer subsidiaries, CS&Co, TD Ameritrade, Inc., and TDAC, are each registered as a broker-dealer with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission), the fifty states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. CS&Co, CSIM, and certain of our other subsidiaries are registered as investment advisors with the SEC. Charles Schwab Futures and Forex LLC (CSFF) is registered as an FCM and FDM with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Much of the regulation of broker-dealers has been delegated to SROs. Our principal broker-dealers are each members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA) and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). In addition, CS&Co and TDAC are members of Nasdaq Stock Market, Cboe EDGX, and MEMX LLC. In addition to the SEC, the primary regulators of our principal broker-dealers are FINRA and, for municipal securities, the MSRB. The National Futures Association (NFA) is the primary regulator for CSFF’s futures, commodities, and forex trading activities.
The principal purpose of regulating these entities is the protection of clients and securities markets. The regulations cover all aspects of the securities business, including, among other things, sales and trading practices, publication of research, margin lending, uses and safekeeping of clients’ funds and securities, capital adequacy, recordkeeping and reporting, fee arrangements, order flow revenue from securities exchanges and market makers, disclosure to clients, fiduciary duties, and the conduct of directors, officers, and employees.
Our principal broker-dealer entities are subject to Rule 15c3-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Uniform Net Capital Rule) and related SRO requirements. The CFTC and NFA also impose net capital requirements. The Uniform Net Capital Rule specifies minimum capital requirements intended to ensure the general financial soundness and liquidity of broker-dealers. CSC itself is not a registered broker-dealer and it is not subject to the Uniform Net Capital Rule.
The Uniform Net Capital Rule prohibits broker-dealers from paying cash dividends, making unsecured advances or loans or repaying subordinated loans if such payment would result in a net capital amount of less than 5% of aggregate debit balances or less than 120% of its minimum dollar requirement.
In addition to net capital requirements, as a self-clearing broker-dealer, CS&Co, and as a clearing broker-dealer, TDAC, are subject to cash deposit and collateral requirements with clearing houses, such as the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation and Options Clearing Corporation, which may fluctuate significantly from time to time based upon the nature and size of clients’ trading activity and market volatility.
The structure and regulation of the securities markets have a significant impact on the Company’s business and operations, including its sources of net revenues. See Part II – Item 7 – Current Regulatory and Other Developments for proposed regulatory changes, including in regard to equity market structure.
As a result of our operations in countries outside the U.S., we are also subject to rules and regulations issued by certain foreign authorities, including the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, the Monetary Authority of Singapore in Singapore, and the Ministry of Finance in the People’s Republic of China.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.