Wild Times for the Community Reinvestment Act
2023 CRA Rule Repeal: Lessons to be Learned
The fatal flaws in the 2023 CRA rule
Predictions regarding the 2023 CRA Rule and Section 1071 and how to prepare for expected developments
How to estimate how your performance will look under the new CRA
2024 Regulatory Hot Topics
The Coming Perfect Storm
The Importance of Assessment Areas
Consumer Finance Monitor Podcast Episode: Community Reinvestment Act Reform: A Close Look at the Final Rule
Keeping up with all the new regulations
What’s behind the increase in CRA Exam failures?
The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA): Recap and What to Expect in 2014
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently unveiled a series of regulatory reforms designed to reduce compliance burdens on community banks. These changes reflect a strategic pivot toward risk-based...more
A golden opportunity has been lost - On November 7, the FDIC announced a change to the consumer compliance examination cycle....more
The FDIC revised its Consumer Compliance Examination Manual to lengthen the exam schedule and Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) evaluations for many institutions. Absent some regulatory concern, those institutions will face...more
The FDIC has announced that its Consumer Compliance Examination Manual has been revised to reflect an updated examination schedule for financial institutions. As a result, agency consumer compliance examinations and Community...more
On November 3, the FDIC published its list of state nonmember banks evaluated for CRA compliance for August 2025. The CRA requires the FDIC to assess how well banks meet the credit needs of their communities, including low-...more
On November 3, the OCC released a list of CRA performance evaluations that became public during October 2025. All 16 national banks and federal savings associations included on the list received ratings of “outstanding” or...more
Even before President Trump was sworn into office on January 20, 2025, the banking community and community activists were abuzz about the Trump Administration’s announced intentions to relax regulatory enforcement. ...more
The landscape of government enforcement, private litigation, and federal and state regulation of DIGITAL ASSETS, BLOCKCHAIN, AND RELATED TECHNOLOGIES is constantly evolving. Each quarter, Ropes & Gray attorneys analyze...more
If you are worried about “redlining” you’d better understand statistical significance - The perennial question facing all banks is, “What volume of lending in Majority-Minority census tracts and mortgages extended to...more
On October 1, the OCC released CRA performance evaluations for six national banks and federal savings associations, covering the period from September 1 through September 30. The OCC assigns one of four possible ratings:...more
On October 3, the FDIC published its list of state nonmember banks evaluated for CRA compliance during July 2025. The CRA requires the FDIC to assess how well banks meet the credit needs of their entire community, including...more
On October 9, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent delivered remarks at a community bank conference noting the administration’s strategies to promote community banking and financial regulation. Bessent outlined how the...more
"Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans" - Executive Order 14331– titled "Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans" – was signed in August of this year and is aimed at scrutinizing bank practices related to the...more
OCC Bulletins 2025-22 and 2025-23 clarify the agency’s approach to evaluating banks’ compliance with fair banking practices and protecting customers’ financial records....more
To keep you informed of recent activities, below are several of the most significant federal and state events that have influenced the Consumer Financial Services industry over the past week....more
On September 26, NYDFS announced new guidance allowing state-chartered banks to receive CRA credit for lending to, or investing in, community development financial institutions (CDFIs) — even if their 2024 federal...more
The OCC has announced actions it is taking to eliminate alleged politicized or unlawful debanking in the federal banking system in response to President Trump’s Executive Order 14331, titled Guaranteeing Fair Banking For All...more
Dear Senators, I have been a consultant regarding the Community Reinvestment Act since 1994 and have advised hundreds of banks and occasionally a community group about an institution’s CRA responsibilities. I am one of...more
On September 8, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued guidance on how it will consider “politicized or unlawful debanking” consistent with the executive order. ...more
On September 15, a group of seven Democratic senators, led by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), sent a letter to the heads of the Fed, the OCC, and the FDIC urging them to withdraw their proposal to rescind...more
On September 8, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) released a press release and two bulletins aimed at curbing so-called debanking activities, and reminding banks of their obligations to protect...more
The OCC has issued two bulletins clarifying how it will handle debanking at its supervised institutions....more
On September 8, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued two bulletins aimed at eliminating “politicized or unlawful debanking” by the banks it supervises. The OCC’s guidance is “consistent with” President...more
On September 8, the OCC issued two bulletins addressing banks’ obligations under the Right to Financial Privacy Act and clarifying how the agency will evaluate “politicized or unlawful debanking” in licensing and Community...more
On September 8, the OCC announced new actions that aim to eliminate “politicized or unlawful debanking” in the federal banking system, consistent with Executive Order 14331: “Guaranteeing Fair Banking For All Americans”...more