community reinvestment act

Federal banking regulators are asking the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to lift a Texas court injunction barring implementation of new Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rules.

In asking the court to lift the injunction, the FDIC, OCC and Federal Reserve Board contend that U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk erred by finding that only the geographic area around a bank’s physical facilities should be taken into account when assessing the financial institution’s record of meeting community needs under the CRA.… Continue Reading

On February 5, 2024, several national and Texas banking and business trade groups (Plaintiffs) filed a lawsuit challenging the final regulations (Final Rules) implementing the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 (CRA) that were jointly adopted in October 2023 by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and Federal Reserve Board (Agencies).… Continue Reading

After targeting credit card late fees in its proposed rule, the CFPB has set its sights on further attacking credit card pricing through interest rates. The CFPB published a blog late last month stating that credit card interest rate margins are at an all-time high, with an average 14.3% margin in 2023 compared to 9.6% margin in 2013, and have fueled the profitability of revolving balances.… Continue Reading

On October 24, 2023,  the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a final rule amending their regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) (the “Final Rule”).  The Final Rule marks the first substantial revision to the CRA regulations in nearly thirty years. … Continue Reading

After moving alone in 2020 to reform its Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulation, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) has joined the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Federal Reserve Board in issuing a joint notice of proposed rulemaking setting forth proposed amendments to their regulations implementing the CRA. … Continue Reading

On December 4, 2021, the OCC issued a final rule that rescinds its June 2020 Consumer Reinvestment Act (CRA) final rule and replaces it with a rule that is largely based on the OCC’s 1995 CRA rule that was adopted jointly with the Federal Reserve Board and FDIC.  The final rule is effective January 1, 2022. … Continue Reading

This past Tuesday, Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu appeared as a witness at the Senate Banking Committee’s hearing, “Oversight of Regulators: Does our Financial System Work for Everyone?

In his written and oral testimony, Mr. Hsu stressed as an overall theme the need for the OCC to prohibit “predatory and discriminatory practices while promoting financial inclusion.”  … Continue Reading

A California federal district court has denied the OCC’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed in June 2020 by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition and California Reinvestment Coalition that asks the court to declare the OCC’s CRA final rule (Rule) unlawful under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) and set it aside.… Continue Reading

The fate of the OCC’s Community Reinvestment Act (“CRA”) final rule, issued on May 20, 2020, hangs in the balance following the inauguration of President Biden on January 20 and the resignation of former Acting Comptroller Brian Brooks, who was a major proponent of the rule, on January 14.

Although the OCC’s CRA final rule technically became effective on October 1, 2020, it provides transition periods for compliance based on a bank’s asset size, type of charter, and business model.… Continue Reading

The OCC and FDIC announced yesterday that they have extended the 60-day comment period for their joint proposal to revise their regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act that was published in the Federal Register on January 8, 2020.  As extended by 30 days, the comment period ends on April 8, 2020.… Continue Reading