On December 16, the FDIC approved its 2009 operating budget with an increase of over $1 billion from 2008. The increase is attributed to the continuing work associated with recent bank failures and the expected increase in bank failures in 2009.  Proposed Budget.

On December 16, the federal banking and thrift regulatory agencies approved a final rule permitting a banking organization to reduce the amount of goodwill it must deduct from tier 1 capital by any associated deferred tax liability. Previously, such netting was not permitted and the full carrying cost of goodwill was deducted for regulatory capital reporting purposes. The final rule is substantively identical to the proposal issued in September and will be effective 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. However, banking organizations may adopt its provisions for purposes of regulatory capital reporting for the period ending December 31, 2008.  OCC Release.