Winston is closely monitoring de-banking regulations and advising global financial institutions on customer onboarding and due diligence, including, more recently, issues relating to anti-debanking and anti-derisking legislative and regulatory developments. As federal and state governmental scrutiny of debanking practices intensifies, our attorneys are at the forefront, providing our clients with practical, business-focused solutions to help them navigate this complex and rapidly changing environment.

In this alert, Carl Fornaris and Fernanda Legaspe examine the Florida Financial Services Commission’s recent approval of the Florida Office of Financial Regulation’s (OFR) request to publish notices of proposed rulemaking to clarify and implement procedures under Florida House Bill 989 (HB 989). They break down what’s changing, where state and federal requirements may conflict, and concrete steps to shore up governance, documentation, and cross‑functional controls.
Following the Florida Financial Services Commission’s approval of the Florida OFR’s request to publish notices of proposed rulemaking to clarify and implement procedures under Florida’s HB 989, Florida regulators have moved to significantly expand the state’s anti–de-banking framework—reaching who may file a complaint, what can be alleged, and who must certify compliance. The OFR’s proposed rules would require an executive officer to sign the annual attestation, broaden the definition of customer to capture vendors and other business relationships, and heighten expectations around citing suspicious activity as a basis for adverse actions—raising potential tensions with federal suspicious activity report confidentiality.

Starting in 2026, California will cap retention in private construction contracts at 5%, matching public works standards. The rule excludes non-mixed-use residential projects under four stories and applies across all contractor-subcontractor levels. Lower retention rates for direct contractors will extend to subcontractors. Advocates say that the cap will ease financial strain, especially for smaller firms. Owners may respond with stricter bonding requirements, potentially raising construction costs due to reduced protection against non-performance.

Winston will continue to monitor developments and provide updates as they become available. Please contact your Winston relationship partner should you have any questions or to request further information.