ANY SCIENCE

A bank's primary federal regulator could be the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Federal Reserve Board, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, or the Office of Thrift Supervision. And within the Federal Reserve Board, there are 12 districts centered around 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks, each of which carries out the Federal Reserve Board's bank regulatory responsibilities in its respective district. Credit Unions in the United States are subject to certain similar bank-like regulations and are supervised by the National Credit Union Administration.
State Regulatory Agencies
State-chartered banks are also subject to the regulation and supervision of the state regulatory agency of the state in which they were chartered. State regulation of state-chartered banks applies in addition to federal regulation. For example, a California state bank that is not a member of the Federal Reserve System would be regulated by both the California Department of Financial Institutions and the FDIC. Likewise, a Nevada state bank that is a member of the Federal Reserve System would be jointly regulated by the Nevada Division of Financial Institutions and the Federal Reserve.
Federal Laws and Regulations
This portion of the article focuses on federal banking laws and regulations. State banking laws also apply to state-chartered banks and certain nonbank affiliates of federally-chartered banks.
Bank Secrecy Act
The Bank Secrecy Act (or BSA) requires financial institutions to assist government agencies to detect and prevent money laundering. Specifically, the act requires financial institutions to keep records of cash purchases of negotiable instruments, file reports of cash transactions exceeding $10,000 (daily aggregate amount), and to report suspicious activity that might signify money laundering, tax evasion, or other criminal activities.
Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
The Fair Credit Reporting Act (or FCRA) regulates the collection, sharing, and use of customer credit information. The act allows consumers to obtain a copy of their credit report records from Credit bureaus that hold information on them, provides for consumers to dispute negative information held, and sets time limits after which negative information is suppressed. It requires that consumers be informed when negative information is added to their credit records, and when adverse action is taken based on a credit report.
Lending Limits
Lending limit regulations restrict the total amount of loans and credits that a bank may extend to a single borrower. This restriction is usually stated as a percentage of the bank's capital or assets. For example, a national bank generally must limit its total outstanding loans and credits to any single borrower to no more than 15% of the bank's total capital and surplus. [4] Some state banking regulations also contain similar lending limits applicable to state-chartered banks. [5] Both federal and state laws generally allow for a higher lending limit, up to 25% of capital and surplus for national banks, when the portion of the credit that exceed the initial lending limit is fully secured.