Regulatory Updates

SBA: New Rule Announced to Increase Economic Opportunity for Returning Citizens

New SBA Rule Will Make it Easier for Returning Citizens to Start and Run a Business, Creating Economic Opportunity and Reducing Recidivism Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 33 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has finalized a new rule…

HUD: New Guidance Issued to Protect Borrowers from Appraisal Bias

Federal Housing Administration’s new Reconsideration of Value policy requires lenders to provide a pathway for borrowers to request reviews of home appraisal valuations. Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), announced a major new step in the Department’s work to protect borrowers from racial or ethnic…

FHFA: Enterprise Reconsideration of Value Policies Announced

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) published new Reconsideration of Value (ROV) policies after months of collaboration with FHFA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration. A Reconsideration of Value is a request to an appraiser to re-assess the…

FHFA: Fair Lending Final Rule Released

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today released its Fair Lending, Fair Housing, and Equitable Housing Finance Plans Final Rule, together with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s (the Enterprises) Equitable Housing Finance Plan updates for 2024 and Performance Reports for 2023. The final rule codifies in regulation FHFA’s fair lending oversight requirements for the Enterprises…

HUD: Final Rule Announced to Protect Communities from Flooding Events and Rising Insurance Costs

The Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) protects families and federal investments against future flood risks – decreasing harm, saving lives, and reducing insurance costs  Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) published a Federal Flood Risk Management Standard (FFRMS) final rule in the Federal Register to help communities prepare for and reduce flood…

HUD: Final Rule Issued to Increase Lender Participation and Boost Homeownership in Tribal Communities

Enhanced home loan program helps to further the homeownership dream for Native American families. Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a final rule that will increase lender participation in the Section 184 Indian Housing Loan Guarantee (Section 184) program, strengthen regulations to meet the program’s growing demands, and ensure that…

CFPB: Supervision Designation Procedures for Nonbanks Updated

Procedural rule streamlines process for designating nonbanks for supervision The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued a procedural rule to update how the agency designates a nonbank for supervision. The updates will streamline the designation proceedings for both the CFPB and nonbanks. The CFPB examines financial institutions, including many nonbanks, for compliance with federal consumer financial protection…

OCC: Comment Period Extended for Proposed Rulemaking and Policy Statement of Bank Mergers

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced today that it will extend until June 15, 2024, the comment period on its proposal to update its rules for business combinations to allow interested parties more time to provide comments. The proposal also includes a policy statement to clarify the OCC’s review of applications…

ABA: ABA & 52 State Bankers Associations Issue Comment Letter to CFPB Explaining that the Market for Overdraft Services is Already Transparent and Competitive

In a detailed comment letter filed today with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the American Bankers Association joined all 52 state bankers associations in explaining why the market for overdraft services is already transparent and competitive, directly challenging the basic premise behind the Bureau’s misguided proposal to impose additional regulation on overdraft protection services. The letter spells…

ABA: Trade Groups Welcome Injunction Delaying CRA Rules Implementation

The American Bankers Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Independent Community Bankers of America, Texas Bankers Association, Independent Bankers Association of Texas, Amarillo Chamber of Commerce and Longview Chamber of Commerce issued the following statement after the decision by the Northern District of Texas late Friday to pause implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act Final…