Who We Supervise

The Department of Financial Services supervises many different types of institutions. Supervision by DFS may entail chartering, licensing, registration or filing requirements, examination, etc. The "Who We Supervise App" on the DFS Portal can help you find out whether a financial institution is regulated and/or licensed by the Department, and what additional locations or branches the entity may have:

Institution Types

Visit our Institution Definition and Description page for a brief definition of each of the main types of institutions/individuals that we supervise or license and a brief description of the laws under which we regulate them.


Other Registered/Approved/Authorized Entities

DFS also registers, approves, permits, authorizes and de-authorizes certain entities. The following links can help you find out more about:


Historical Listing of Banks

DFS maintains a historical listing of New York banking institutions - banks and trust companies, savings banks, savings and loans, credit unions, investment companies and foreign banking institutions - that are or were New York State-chartered, as well as most federally chartered institutions that have ever operated in the state of New York.


Non-New York State Chartered Institutions and Other Regulators

Certain banks, credit unions and other financial institutions may not be New York State-chartered, so we may not supervise them. Some additional outside links and resources that may help determine who supervises an institution are:

  • Other State Banks: Some state-licensed banks headquartered in other states have branch offices in New York. The FDIC Institution Directory allows you to locate any bank's branches and offices, find out if a bank is insured, review the history of a bank and more.
  • Other State Regulators: The Conference of State Bank Supervisors has a Directory that includes contact information for all State Banking Departments.
  • National Banks: A national bank is a financial institution chartered and regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. National Banks typically have the words “national” or “national association” in their titles, or the letters “N.A.” in their names. National Banks are regulated by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency or OCC.
  • National Information Center: The Federal Reserve keeps a repository of financial data and institution characteristics collected by the Federal Reserve System. Their Institution Search allows you to search for both current and non-current institutions by name and location. Additional search options also allow you to search for U.S. branches and agencies of foreign banking organizations.
  • Mortgage Company or Individual License: The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System has a service called NMLS Consumer Access that allows you to search for and confirm that a mortgage company, loan servicer, or mortgage professional with whom they wish to conduct business is licensed in your state.
  • Federal Credit Unions: Many federal credit unions are distinguished by the words "Federal", or the initials "FCU" in their names. The NCUA’s Find a Credit Union tool can be used to locate and view information pertaining to any state-chartered or federally-chartered credit union.