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Should Banking Powers Expand into Real Estate Brokerage and Management? 1 (July 10, 2002)

handle is hein.tera/crser0039 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS21104
Updated July 10, 2002
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
Should Banking Powers Expand into Real
Estate Brokerage and Management?
William D. Jackson
Specialist in Financial Institutions
Government and Finance Division
Summary
In late 2000, the Federal Reserve and the Treasury proposed to use their authority
to increase banking powers to adapt to changing financial markets. The regulators
proposed allowing banking companies to engage in real estate brokerage and
management as activities that are financial in nature. Their proposal has been
controversial, pitting real estate companies against banks. The substantiative issues are
of two sorts: those that question the respective nature of banking and of real estate
activities; and those that question what the impact on consumers will be from the
possible benefits of efficiency and potential changes in competition. Procedural
questions also surround the proposal. Members have introduced H.R. 3424/S. 1839, the
Community Choice in Real Estate Act, to block the regulatory proposal and to remove
these real estate activities from future consideration under the market-adaptive powers
of the regulators. In view of the controversy over it, regulatory action on the proposal
is in a holding pattern until 2003. Both sides to the controversy continue their public
and legislative relations initiatives, nonetheless; hearings occurred in both House and
Senate Subcommittees even after regulatory postponement. The House Appropriations
Committee has voted to block issuance of the proposed rule in fiscal year 2003. This
report will be updated as events warrant.
Framework of Legislation and Regulation
The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA, P.L. 106-102)' was landmark legislation that
allowed banking, securities, and insurance companies to operate in affiliation with each
other under the umbrella organizational form of financial holding companies (FHCs.)
GLBA also permitted FHCs, like financial subsidiaries of banks (FSs) newly authorized
by the law, to engage in a variety of financial activities not previously allowed to banks
1113 Stat. 1338-1481,Nov. 12, 1999.
Congressional Research Service + The Library of Congress

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