The U.S. Government Accountability Office ("GAO") issued a study describing the extent to which regulators responsible for adopting rules under Dodd-Frank conducted economic analysis of various rulemakings and the extent to which the regulators coordinated their rulemakings. The study also attempted to determine the benefits of Dodd-Frank. GAO found that regulators coordinated on 34 of the 54 Dodd-Frank rulemakings reviewed. According to GAO, regulators face data and modeling challenges in their consideration of the costs and benefits of their rulemakings, particularly for more complex rules

President Barack Obama signed and thereby enacted H.R. 3329, "to enhance the ability of community financial institutions to foster economic growth and serve their communities, boost small businesses, and increase individual savings." The bill requires the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to publish proposed revisions to the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement on Assessment of Financial and Managerial Factors, among other things. See: H.R. 3329; White House Statement; Congressional Summary.

The NFA announced the commencement of the NFA Member Regulatory Conferences series. Through the conferences, the NFA's goal is to meet with members in person to discuss the latest regulatory trends and rules, provide guidance, and answer questions. The NFA also announced that starting in March 2015, the Member Regulatory Conferences are scheduled to be held in Houston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. See: NFA Press Release.

On December 19, 2014, President Obama issued a new Executive Order ("E.O.") "blocking property of certain persons and prohibiting certain transactions with respect to the Crimea region of Ukraine." Specifically, the E.O. prohibits new investments in Crimea and the trade of goods, technology or services with Crimea. (See White House Press Release.) Additionally, the E.O. authorizes the Department of Treasury to impose sanctions on: 1) individuals and entities operating in Crimea; 2) the leaders of entities operating in Crimea; 3) entities owned or controlled by persons operating in Crimea; and

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network ("FinCEN") assessed a $1 million civil monetary penalty against Thomas E. Haider, former Chief Compliance Officer at MoneyGram International Inc., for allegedly failing to ensure that his company complied with the anti-money laundering ("AML") provisions of the Bank Secrecy Act. FinCEN is also seeking to enjoin Haider from future employment in the financial industry. Previously, in 2012, MoneyGram entered into a five-year deferred prosecution agreement ("DPA") with the Department of Justice under which it agreed to