OCC Conditionally Approves SoFi Bank, National Association

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today conditionally approved applications from Social Finance Inc. (SoFi) to create SoFi Bank, National Association (SoFi Bank, N.A.), as a full service national bank headquartered in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. As part of the transaction, SoFi Bank, N.A. will acquire Golden Pacific Bank, National Association, a national bank insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Upon consummation of this transaction, SoFi Bank, N.A., will have $5.3 billion in total assets and $718 million in capital at the end of the first year of operation, and will continue to offer a range of local commercial-focused loan offerings and deposit products previously offered by Golden Pacific. The bank will also provide a fully digital, mobile-first national lending platform for consumers across the country. The conditions imposed require specific capital contributions, adherence to an Operating Agreement, and confirmation that the resulting bank will not engage in any crypto-asset activities or services. In addition, the parent company of SoFi Bank, N.A., SoFi Technologies, has applied to the Federal Reserve to become a bank holding company and therefore subject to consolidated supervision.

“Today’s decision brings SoFi, a large fintech, inside the federal bank regulatory perimeter, where it will be subject to comprehensive supervision and the full panoply of bank regulations, including the Community Reinvestment Act. This levels the playing field and will ensure that SoFi’s deposit and lending activities are conducted safely and soundly, including limiting the bank’s ability to engage in crypto-asset activities,” Acting Comptroller Hsu said. “This action is consistent with the comprehensive legal and policy review of pending licensing decisions I initiated last May, and our work with other federal and state regulators to develop a coordinated approach to modernizing the federal regulatory perimeter. Like every other national bank we supervise, the OCC will require SoFi Bank, N. A., to be adequately capitalized, have strong risk management programs, policies and procedures in place, and provide fair treatment to its customers.”

Related Links

• OCC Decision Letter to Conditionally Approve SoFi Bank, National Association (PDF)
• Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael J. Hsu