On April 18 the Federal Reserve Board (Board) proposed an annual assessment of bank holding companies and savings and loan holding companies with $50 billion or greater in total consolidated assets and for nonbank financial companies designated by the Financial Stability Oversight Council for supervision by the Federal Reserve.

The Dodd-Frank Act directs the Federal Reserve to collect assessments, fees, or other charges equal to the expenses the Board estimates are necessary and appropriate to carry out its supervisory and regulatory responsibilities for these large financial companies. The proposed rule outlines how the Federal Reserve Board would determine which companies are assessed, estimate the total expenses that are necessary or appropriate to carry out its supervisory and regulatory responsibilities for such companies, determine the amount of each company’s assessment, and bill for and collect the assessments.

Under the proposal, each calendar year would be an assessment period. The Federal Reserve would notify each company of the amount of its assessment no later than July 15 of the year following the assessment period. Payments would be due by September 30.

Further, 2012 would be the first assessment period but payments would not be collected until the rule is finalized. Using the methodologies in the proposal, the Board estimates that for 2012 there would be approximately 70 companies assessed and the Board would collect a total of approximately $440 million. All assessments collected by the Federal Reserve would be transferred to the US Treasury.

Comments on the proposed rule must be submitted by June 15.

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