April 11, 2016 10:20 am

By, Cody Roberts

After many years in compliance, I have determined that compliance is not just a bank department or division – it is another language.

Unlike English, which at least tries for specificity and clarity, compliance is typically vague and confusing. When was the last time you saw a regulation that did not contain at least 100 references to other regulations, a list of interpretations (to clarify the regulation of course), or the word “except” several hundred times?

Thankfully, more important items in our lives were not written the same way. Can you imagine the following?

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Except as provided in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, “years” means any 365 day span except in a leap year, which is any 366 day span.

It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. For further guidance, refer to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, Public Law 111-203, 124 Stat. 1376.

 

INTIAL STATEMENT

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you –

FOLLOW-UP STATEMENT

Ask what you can do for your country.

Total of Statements

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here today in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony. For purposes of this ceremony, a “day” is any calendar day including Saturday, Sunday, or legal holidays listed in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a).

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Member FDIC. Equal Housing Lender.

Let’s be thankful this wording remains in the compliance industry, for now at least. Need help deciphering compliance? We’re here for you. Feel free to contact an ABS representative at (405) 607-7000; we’re happy to help.