OCC Rescinds Bank M&A Policy Statement and Restores Expedited Merger Review Procedures

• Today, the OCC issued an interim final rule rescinding the 2024 amendments to its business combinations regulation, which (i) eliminated automatic expedited review and streamlined application procedures and (ii) included a policy statement appendix that described the standards and criteria the OCC employs in evaluating transactions under the Bank Merger Act.
• Acting Comptroller Hood stated the interim final rule “reduce[s] burden and uncertainty for banks and supports a regulatory framework for bank mergers that is effective and not excessive.”
• The interim final rule will be effective upon publication in the Federal Register and comments on it are due within 30 days after publication.

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