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Transparency & Accountability - Bank Examinations

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Through regular on-site examinations and contact with state nonmember institutions, FDIC staff regularly talk with banks to ensure that their policies to manage credit risk, liquidity risk, and interest-rate risk are effective. Where appropriate, FDIC staff work with institutions that have significant exposure to these risks and encourage them to take appropriate risk-mitigating steps. Learn more about the policies and guidelines used to examine banks, examination performance metrics, and resources for examiners and bankers.

For further questions about examination policies and processes, please contact Supervision@fdic.gov.

Safety and Soundness*
Exam Turnaround Click for definitions
12 Months as of August 31, 2020
  Total
Median Days 53
Goal 75
Percent Meeting Goal 84.60%

*Independent and Concurrent Exams

Exam turnaround reflects the time from when the field work starts to when the report of examination is sent to the bank.
Consumer Compliance**
Exam Turnaround Click for definitions
12 Months as of August 31, 2020
  Total
Median Days 41
Goal 120
Percent Meeting Goal 97.70%

**Compliance/Community Reinvestment Act and Compliance-Only Exams

Exam turnaround reflects the time from when the field work starts to when the report of examination is sent to the bank (or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau/State Bank Department).
Safety and Soundness *
Exam Report Processing Times Click for definitions
12 Months as of August 31, 2020
  Favorably
Rated		 Unfavorably
Rated		 Total
Median Days 20 34 21
Goal 45 45 45
Percent Meeting Goal 93.40% 67.60% 92.30%

*Independent and Concurrent Exams

Processing times reflect the period of time from when the field work is complete to when the report of examination is sent to the bank. Favorably rated banks have a Composite rating of 1 or 2. Unfavorably rated banks have a Composite rating of 3, 4, or 5.
Consumer Compliance**
Exam Report Processing TimesClick for definitions
12 Months as of August 31, 2020
  < $1 Billion ≥ $1 Billion CFPB
Supervised
Median Days 10 13 6
Goal 21 28 14
Percent Meeting Goal 92.00% 92.10% 100.00%

**Compliance/Community Reinvestment Act and Compliance-Only Exams

Processing times reflect the period of time from when the field work is complete to when the report of examination is sent to the bank (or Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)/State Bank Department). Processing times for CFPB-supervised institutions reflect the time from when the CFPB returns their comments to the FDIC to when the report of examination is sent to the bank.
Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML)
Enforcement Actions Issued Click for definitions
12 Months as of August 31, 2020
  Total Percent of
BSA Exams
Formal Enforcement Actions 9 0.62%
Informal Enforcement Actions 11 0.76%
Civil Money Penalties 2 0.14%
Formal BSA/AML enforcement actions are orders issued by the FDIC against insured financial institutions and individual respondents. The FDIC issues formal actions, such as Consent Orders, pursuant to Section 8 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Formal actions are legally enforceable and available to the public after issuance. Informal BSA/AML enforcement actions, such as a Memorandum of Understanding, are voluntary commitments made by an insured financial institution's board of directors with the FDIC. Informal actions are not legally enforceable and are not available to the public. Civil money penalties are assessed not only to punish the violator to the degree of culpability and severity of the violation, but also to deter future violations. Although relevant to the FDIC’s interests, the primary purpose for utilizing civil money penalties is not to effect remedial action.

Contested Material Supervisory Determinations
January 2018 - August 31, 2020
Year Request(s) for Review Appeals
2020 2 1
2019 5 4
2018 9 1
Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML)
Examinations with BSA/AML Compliance
Program/Pillar Violations Click for definitions
January 2018- August 31, 2020
Year Total Percent of
BSA Exams
2020 YTD 34 5.56%
2019 53 3.58%
2018 76 4.54%

BSA/AML Compliance Program/Pillar Violations include the overall compliance program (12 CFR 326.8(b)(1)), Customer Identification Program (12 CFR 326.8(b)(2)), internal controls (12 CFR 326.8(c)(1)), independent testing (12 CFR 326.8(c)(2)), BSA officer (12 CFR 326.8(c)(3)), and training (12 CFR 326.8(c)(4).

 

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How the FDIC examines banks

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Resources for banking professionals

Bank Applications Bank Examinations Consumer Protection & Deposit Insurance
Deposit Insurance for Bankers Legal Matters Resolutions & Failed Banks
Last Updated 09/08/2020
transparency@fdic.gov