On June 4, 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) filed an amicus brief in the en banc proceedings before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in National Association of Industrial Bankers v. Weiser, urging the court to affirm the district court’s preliminary injunction against Colorado’s opt-out statute and reject Colorado’s attempt to apply its interest-rate restrictions to loans made by out-of-state state-chartered banks.… Continue Reading
Banking agencies update interagency documents to remove reputational risk references
By Ballard CFS Group on
The Federal Reserve Board, FDIC and OCC have jointly updated interagency documents to delete references to reputational risk.
The agencies took this action to complement their earlier actions to end the use of reputational risk in supervision.
“As the agencies have previously noted, reputation risk can be misused by supervisors as a basis to encourage or pressure a bank to restrict individuals’ and legal businesses’ access to financial services due to their constitutionally protected political or religious beliefs, speech, or conduct or lawful business activities,” the agencies said, in a joint statement.… Continue Reading
OCC Finalizes Rules Confirming Preemption of State Mortgage Interest-on-Escrow Laws
On Friday, May 15, 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued two final rules on national banks’ and federal savings associations’ real estate lending powers related to mortgage escrow accounts. The actions codify a rule reflecting longstanding OCC precedent on mortgage escrow account powers and finalize the proposed preemption rule regarding interest-on-escrow laws, both of which the Second Circuit relied upon in its recent decision in Cantero v.… Continue Reading
Seventh Circuit Hits Reset Button in Illinois Interchange Fee Litigation After OCC “Doubles Down” on Federal Preemption under the National Bank Act
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued a highly significant order on May 8, 2026 in the closely watched litigation challenging the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (“IFPA”), vacating the district court’s judgment and remanding the case for further proceedings in light of the OCC’s recently issued Interim Final Rule and preemption order.… Continue Reading
OCC, Federal Reserve, and FDIC Finalize Revisions to the Community Bank Leverage Ratio Framework
By Scott A. Coleman & Beau Hurtig on
On April 23, 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Reserve Board, and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) jointly issued a final rule revising the Community Bank Leverage Ratio (CBLR) framework. The rule, titled “Regulatory Capital Rule: Revisions to the Community Bank Leverage Ratio Framework,” will take effect on July 1, 2026.It… Continue Reading
Second Circuit Reaffirms Preemption of New York’s Mortgage Escrow Interest Law, Setting Stage for Potential Supreme Court Rematch with First Circuit
By Alan S. Kaplinsky on
In a decision issued May 5, 2026, a Second Circuit Court of Appeals panel in Cantero v. Bank of America, N.A., August Term 2024, Nos. 21-400, 22-403, once again held that New York’s General Obligations Law § 5-601, which requires mortgage lenders to pay at least 2% interest on escrow accounts is preempted by the National Bank Act (NBA) as applied to national banks like Bank of America.… Continue Reading
OCC Doubles Down on Interchange Fee Preemption Against the Backdrop of High-Stakes Seventh Circuit Litigation and a Post-Loper Bright World
By Alan S. Kaplinsky, Adam Maarec & Ronald K. Vaske on
In a pair of coordinated actions on April 24, 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) moved to reaffirm and expand the scope of National Bank Act (NBA) preemption to credit and debit card interchange fees and the use of electronic payment transaction data.
The OCC issued (i) an interim final rule clarifying that interchange fees are protected “non-interest charges,” and (ii) an interim final order expressly preempting the Illinois Interchange Fee Prohibition Act (IFPA).… Continue Reading
OCC Enters Into Consent Order with Savings Bank Over VA Mortgage Refinance Loan Practices
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently entered into a consent order with The Federal Savings Bank in Chicago, Illinois (Bank) to settle allegations of false or misleading statements regarding cash-out mortgage refinance loans guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The consent order includes typical allegations of improper marketing of VA cash-out loans, although the remedy provisions have drawn the ire of at least one consumer group.… Continue Reading
FDIC, OCC adopt debanking final rule
The FDIC and the OCC have adopted a joint final rule that will prohibit the agencies from criticizing or taking adverse action against a financial institution based on reputation risk. The rule is effective June 6.
The rule will also prohibit the agencies from “requiring, instructing, or encouraging an institution to close customer accounts or take other actions on the basis of a person or entity’s political, social, cultural, or religious views or beliefs, constitutionally protected speech, or solely on the basis of politically disfavored but lawful business activities perceived to present reputation risk,” according to a statement from the agencies.… Continue Reading
OCC Issues Two Final Rules to Reduce Regulatory Burden on Community Banks (National Banks and Federal Savings Associations and Banks)
By Beau Hurtig & Alan S. Kaplinsky on
Posted in Community Banks, OCC
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently adopted two final rules designed to reduce regulatory burden on community banks. The rules expand streamlined licensing procedures for qualifying community banks and rescind an outdated mortgage data collection regulation that applied only to national banks.
According to the OCC, the actions are intended to tailor regulatory requirements to the size and complexity of banking organizations and eliminate duplicative or unnecessary compliance obligations while preserving core supervisory and consumer protection safeguards.… Continue Reading