The OCC, a division of the US Treasury Department, is zealously implementing them, while the Fed is more relaxed about it, the sources said. While all major Wall Street banks are regulated by the Fed, the OCC oversees only those with national bank charters, which allow a bank to build a nationwide branch network.
The OCC, for example, is more frequently contacting banks about the issue and querying them extensively over their compliance in loans they make to heavily indebted companies. OCC-regulated banks have also received more verbal warnings as well as official letters demanding fixes than banks that are regulated just by the Fed in the United States, the sources said. Such letters and warnings are the first steps before fines and penalties.
The difference in approach, which even some regulatory sources privately admit exists, has meant that banks such as Credit Suisse Group AG and Goldman Sachs Group Inc are able to be more aggressive in making leveraged loans just because they are regulated by the Fed, not the OCC, the sources said. As a result, these banks could gain ground at the expense of rivals that are regulated by the OCC, including JPMorgan Chase & Co, Bank of America Corp and Wells Fargo & Co, the sources said.