Recent News
"According to a new report released by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) have grown rapidly in recent years. But as more money flows through the industry, it prompts the question if that growth will translate to support for the communities most in need of CDFIs' services: minority and low-income communities."
"President Joe Biden issued a new executive order on artificial intelligence — the U.S. government's first action of its kind — requiring new safety assessments, equity and civil rights guidance and research on AI's impact on the labor market.
While law enforcement agencies have warned that they're ready to apply existing law to abuses of AI and Congress has endeavored to learn more about the technology to craft new laws, the executive order could have a more immediate impact. Like all executive orders, it 'has the force of law,' according to a senior administration official who... Read more
"According to these QSRs, in a little more than six months, ECIP participants originated a total of approximately $26 billion in loans of which approximately 75%, or $19.4 billion, went to LMI borrowers, borrowers in rural communities, and other categories of Qualified Lending. Approximately one third of ECIP participants' total originations, or $8.6 billion, were Deep Impact Lending, loans made to the hardest-to-serve borrowers, including those that are low income, residents on Tribal lands and in US Territories, and owners of very small businesses."
Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., secured the votes to be elected speaker Wednesday as the roll call was still underway.
It will bring to an end more than three weeks of disruption after the unprecedented removal of the former speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Oct. 3.
Johnson was the fourth nominee for speaker this month, but the only one who could secure a House majority.
This Tuesday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (collectively, the agencies) released a final rule to "strengthen and modernize their regulations implementing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA)."
While the revisions remain complex, and are certain to be controversial, several changes are positive for CDFI-certified banks and their communities. These include the following:
- Specific nationwide "community development" consideration for activities... Read more
"The agency is being pressed by some Republican members of Congress to fully pursue delinquent, pandemic-era loans handed to small borrowers. The SBA says it isn't cost effective.
The Small Business Administration continues to face heat for its decision to not fully pursue overdue pandemic-era loans. And some Republican members of Congress remain determined to recoup billions in delinquent funds."
"Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) proposed a rule that would accelerate a shift toward open banking, where consumers would have control over data about their financial lives and would gain new protections against companies misusing their data. The proposed Personal Financial Data Rights rule activates a dormant provision of law enacted by Congress more than a decade ago.
It would jumpstart competition by forbidding financial institutions from hoarding a person's data and by requiring companies to share data at the person's direction with other companies... Read more
"The New Haven Bank is opening its second branch this fall. The new branch will open at 636 Campbell Ave. in West Haven. Maureen A. Frank, President and Chief Executive Officer, told the Hartford Business Journal that the new branch will be open either later this month or in early November."
"The Senate voted 53-44 Wednesday to overturn a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule requiring personal information on small-business borrowers, including race and sex, from the financial institutions that lend to them.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-KY., touted the resolution introduced by Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., under the Congressional Review Act as striking a blow to President Joe Biden's regulators. Resolutions under the CRA require only a simple majority in the Senate."
"Lawmakers and representatives of the community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, bemoaned potential obstacles and cuts to government funding of those institutions during a Senate Banking Committee hearing.
A Biden administration proposal to overhaul the certification process for CDFIs — as well as potential cuts to the CDFI fund proposed by some Republican lawmakers — came under fire at a Senate Banking subcommittee hearing on Tuesday. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle were broadly supportive of the public mission of CDFIs, and pushed back on any incursion into their... Read more
On October 17, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development met to conduct a hearing entitled, 'How Community Development Financial Institutions Promote Housing and Economic Opportunity.'
The witnesses included representatives of CDFIs focused on serving rural and native communities. CDBA member United Bank (AL) was called out by Senator Britt (AL) as an example of CDFI excellence. Senator Britt begins speaking at 01:21:03 in the linked video above.
"Just one remarkably memorable event in Darrin Williams' lifetime, in this case flying into his hometown on Air Force One with the president of the United States, Williams' wife and 6-month-old child on board, for a national celebration to recognize the Little Rock Nine and the 40th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High in Little Rock, would probably be enough for most folks. Williams has a closet full of such memorable encounters not unlike that leading up to his current role as chief executive officer of Little Rock's Southern Bancorp, a $2.5 billion institution with plans to... Read more
"Though banks have recently been churning out their highest profits in more than a decade, there's trouble brewing beneath the rosy performance metrics, according to the consulting firm McKinsey.
The threat is largely tied to the ongoing shift of balance-sheet activities and transactions away from traditional banks to nonbank institutions, McKinsey warns in its 2023 annual review of global banking. That migration has gained such scale that banking is now at 'a tipping point' that could 'fundamentally alter the nature' of the industry, the McKinsey report states."
"Community development financial institutions (CDFIs) are vital investors in cities across America, but could they have a greater impact if they better pulled in dollars from public finance sources?
As long-standing lenders with a mission, CDFIs specialize in providing loans to individuals, organizations, and businesses in under-resourced or disadvantaged rural and urban communities often underserved by mainstream banks. They also provide other forms of fair, responsible financing that further economic potential. CDFIs can also function as trusted intermediaries that invest in a... Read more
"CFPB recently analyzed the non-sufficient fund (NSF) fee practices of a number of banks and credit unions. NSF fees are charges that some financial institutions impose when they decline to make a payment from a consumer's account, like a check or electronic authorization, after determining the account lacks sufficient funds. NSF fees are distinct from overdraft fees, which financial institutions charge when they pay, rather than decline, a payment when the account lacks sufficient funds."
"The changing economic environment is opening a window of opportunity for banks and credit unions to put their artificial intelligence models for loan underwriting through a credit cycle.
The digital banking evolution in the past decade has significantly enriched data around consumer profiles and behaviors. It has incubated a group of financial technology vendors to develop AI underwriting models for banks and credit unions. Since most of them were established in a benign environment, early adopters are now looking to validate their AI models in the current dynamics with the... Read more
"To increase the public's awareness of deposit insurance and how it can protect people's money in the event of a bank's failure, the FDIC developed a national consumer campaign, 'Know Your Risk. Protect Your Money.' The campaign reaches people who may have lower confidence in the U.S. banking system or who are unbanked, as well as those who use mobile payment systems, alternative banking services and financial products that may appear to be FDIC-insured but are not."
"Members attending the American Bankers Association's annual convention in Nashville, Tenn., have elected new ABA officers and directors to serve on ABA's board for the 2023-2024 association year. The new officers are:
- CHAIR: Julieann M. Thurlow, president and CEO, Reading Cooperative Bank, Reading, Mass.;
- CHAIR-ELECT: John C. Asbury, chief executive officer, Atlantic Union Bancshares Corp., Richmond, Va.;
- VICE CHAIR: Kenneth Kelly, chairman and CEO, First Independence Bank, Detroit; and
- TREASURER: Carissa Rodeheaver, chairman, president and CEO,... Read more
"Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced the appointment of new members to the Consumer Advisory Board, Community Bank Advisory Council, Credit Union Advisory Council, and Academic Research Council."
CDBA would like to recognize the achievement of the following member:
- Victor M. Ramirez, SVP, CRA and Fair & Responsible Banking, Beneficial State Bank (Oakland, CA) was appointed to the CFPB Community Bank Advisory Council
Congratulations, Victor!
Federal Reserve Governor Bowman:
"Today I will begin by discussing some of the research around community banks and the role they play in the U.S. banking system. I will then discuss how this research can inform policy, including by helping us be more sensitive to the unintended consequences of reform, and discuss how this perspective can be applied to the evaluation of bank mergers and acquisitions. Finally, I will mention a few additional areas where I think research could be valuable as an input to the rulemaking process."