Laws & Regulation

Government Information Index --- University of Texas exhaustive series of links to U.S. and foreign government presence on the Web.

U.N. and International
Countries - Government Information
U.S. Government Information
Texas Government Information

Financial Action Task Force (FATF) --- An inter-governmental body established in 1989 by the Ministers of its Member jurisdictions. The objectives of the FATF are to set standards and promote effective implementation of legal, regulatory and operational measures for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and other related threats to the integrity of the international financial system.

Bureau of Labor Statistics --- The BLS is the principal Federal agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) --- Congress created the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in 1974 as an independent agency with the mandate to regulate commodity futures and option markets in the United States. The agency's mandate has been renewed and expanded several times since then, most recently by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Federal Reserve --- The Federal Reserve System is the central bank of the United States. It was founded by Congress in 1913 to provide the nation with a safer, more flexible, and more stable monetary and financial system. Over the years, its role in banking and the economy has expanded.

FASB --- Since 1973, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has been the designated organization in the private sector for establishing standards of financial accounting that govern the preparation of financial reports by nongovernmental organizations. Those standards are officially recognized as authoritative by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

United Nations --- Directory and links to UN and related organizations, Programmes, Commissions and Research

Department of the Treasury --- Treasury's mission highlights its role as the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems, and as an influential participant in the world economy.

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) --- The OCC's primary mission is to charter, regulate, and supervise all national banks and federal savings associations. We also supervise the federal branches and agencies of foreign banks. Our goal in supervising banks and federal savings associations is to ensure that they operate in a safe and sound manner and in compliance with laws requiring fair treatment of their customers and fair access to credit and financial products. The OCC was established in 1863 as an independent bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.


Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation --- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is an independent agency created by the Congress to maintain stability and public confidence in the nation's financial system by: insuring deposits, examining and supervising financial institutions for safety and soundness and consumer protection, and managing receiverships.

Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee --- The Financial and Banking Information Infrastructure Committee (FBIIC) is chartered under the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, and is charged with improving coordination and communication among financial regulators, enhancing the resiliency of the financial sector, and promoting the public/private partnership. Treasury's Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions chairs the committee.

Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council --- The Council is a formal interagency body empowered to prescribe uniform principles, standards, and report forms for the federal examination of financial institutions by:

the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB)
the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA),
the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)
the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), 

and to make recommendations to promote uniformity in the supervision of financial institutions. In 2006, the State Liaison Committee (SLC) was added to the Council as a voting member. The SLC includes representatives from:

the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS)
the American Council of State Savings Supervisors (ACSSS), and
the National Association of State Credit Union Supervisors (NASCUS).


 Financial Crimes Enforcement Network: Important bank advisories --- FinCEN is a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The Director of FinCEN is appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury and reports to the Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. FinCEN's mission is to safeguard the financial system from illicit use and combat money laundering and promote national security through the collection, analysis, and dissemination of financial intelligence and strategic use of financial authorities.

Bank for International Settlements --- The mission of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) is to serve central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability, to foster international cooperation in those areas and to act as a bank for central banks.

European Central Bank --- The ECB is the central bank for Europe's single currency, the euro. The ECB’s main task is to maintain the euro's purchasing power and thus price stability in the euro area. The euro area comprises the 17 European Union countries that have introduced the euro since 1999.

Foreign Central Banks --- National Central Banks and monetary authority websites


OSFI --- OSFI is an independent agency of the Government of Canada. It reports to the Minister of Finance. OSFI employs some 400 full-time staff for its regulatory functions. About 58% of these people are involved in front-line supervisory activities, 22% are involved in supervisory support functions and 20% fulfill corporate services functions.

ICAAP --- Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process, whereby national regulators are employing Pillar 2 (and especially the Internal Capital Adequacy Process) to accelerate the changes mandated by Basel III, banks are under pressure to integrate their Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 processes to create a consistent and unified approach, and limit regulatory costs. Related PDF: McKinsey Working Paper on Risk, No. 27, Mastering ICAAP exitIcon

Saxo World ICAAP --- Saxo Bank issues regular ICAAP and Risk reports in compliance with Danish financial regulations.​

FSA ICAAP exitIcon --- ICAAP submissions – observations for Limited Licence Investment Firms

Bank of England --- The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom. Sometimes known as the “Old Lady” of Threadneedle Street, the Bank was founded in 1694, nationalised on 1 March 1946, and in 1997 gained operational independence to set monetary policy.


FSA (UK) --- The FSA has now become two separate regulatory authorities (FCA and PRA) and the FSA site is no longer updated.

Financial Conduct Authority --- FCA regulates the financial services industry in the UK. The aim is to protect consumers, ensure our industry remains stable and promote healthy competition between financial services providers. FCA has rule-making, investigative and enforcement powers that we use to protect and regulate the financial services industry. FCA takes a fair and principled approach to regulation.

Prudential Regulation Authority --- On 1 April 2013 the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) became responsible for the prudential regulation and supervision of banks, building societies, credit unions, insurers and major investment firms. In total the PRA regulates around 1,700 financial firms.

European Union --- The official website of the European Union. It is a good starting point if you are looking for information and services provided by the EU but you don't know your way around our sites. This site provides basic information on how the EU works, the latest EU news and events, and links to EU information on the websites of EU institutions and agencies.

Asian Development Bank --- Dedicated to improving people’s lives in Asia and the Pacific. By targeting our investments wisely, in partnership with our developing member countries and other stakeholders, we can alleviate poverty and help create a world in which everyone can share in the benefits of sustained and inclusive growth.