The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) today issued an “FAQ” to financial institutions entitled, Frequently Asked Questions for Financial Institutions Affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Referred to as COVID-19).

The FDIC has highlighted the following items in respect of this FAQ:

  • The FDIC encourages financial institutions to work with customers affected by COVID-19 in a prudent manner, especially borrowers from industry sectors particularly vulnerable to the volatility in the current economic environment and small businesses and independent contractors that are reliant on affected industries.
  • A financial institution’s prudent efforts to modify the terms on existing loans for affected customers will not be subject to examiner criticism.

Continue Reading Payment Accommodations Under Commercial Loans by Banks to Borrowers: Remember the Related Interest Rate Hedge Documentation

This post will address a question that we have been receiving from many contacts, clients and colleagues in recent days (particularly in light of the rate cut announced yesterday afternoon by the Federal Reserve Board).

  • What will happen to an interest rate swap in a zero or negative interest rate environment?

We first addressed this question in a May 2015 post entitled, Dealing with “Deemed Zero Rates” in Loan Agreements and Related Interest Rate Swap Documentation.Continue Reading Interest Rate Swaps in “Zero” and Negative Interest Rate Environments