CRA Newswire

SBA: White House Hosts Small Business Owners During American Dream Week

WASHINGTON – More than 100 small business owners from around the country voiced concerns about taxes, regulations and the need for a skilled workforce at a forum hosted by President Trump at the White House on Tuesday. “America is on the verge of a golden age for small business,” Trump said. “We are ending job-killing…

CFPB: Denied for a Bank Account? Here’s What You Should Know

You may have heard that we recently determined that JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Chase) violated the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) in connection with its furnishing of consumer deposit account information to specialty consumer reporting companies. Specialty consumer reporting companies collect information and provide reports about how consumers use their deposit accounts. These companies are…

ABA: “Take Your Lawmaker to Work” Program Kicks Off

Members of Congress invited to experience a ‘day in the life’ as a bank employee ​WASHINGTON — August marks the start of the American Bankers Association’s “Take Your Lawmaker to Work” program – an annual initiative that encourages bankers to host their elected policymakers at a local branch. Bankers across the country have invited members…

HUD: Additional $179 Million to Help States Recover from 2015 & 2016 Disasters

WASHINGTON – U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson today announced an additional $178.5 million to help hard-hit areas in several states recover from severe flooding that occurred in 2015 and 2016.   The grants announced today are provided through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program.  Combined with CDBG-DR grants…

OCC: CRA Evaluations for 26 National Banks and Federal Savings Associations Released

WASHINGTON — The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today released a list of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) performance evaluations that became public during the period of July 1, 2017 through July 31, 2017.  The list contains only national banks, federal savings associations, and insured federal branches of foreign banks that have received…

CDFI: New Markets Tax Credit Program Compliance Report Released

Washington – A new, independent report on the federal New Markets Tax Credit Program (NMTC Program) was released today by Summit Consulting LLC (Summit). The Compliance Review of New Markets Tax Credit Program report (the NMTC Report) was commissioned by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund). It examines whether the…

Census Bureau: Release Schedule for Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Statistics

New Language Tables Released JULY 31, 2017 — The U.S. Census Bureau schedule for the release of the 2016 income, poverty and health insurance coverage statistics from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey and the 2016 American Community Survey is as follows:  Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017 (no embargo) National 2016…

CFPB: Companies Warned Against Tricking Consumers into Expensive Pay-by-Phone Fees

Bureau Concerned About Companies Misleading Consumers About Pay-By-Phone Fees, Keeping Them in the Dark About Much Cheaper Options WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today issued a bulletin warning companies about tricking consumers into expensive pay-by-phone fees. The Bureau is concerned about companies potentially misleading consumers about the purpose and amount of certain…

Census Bureau: 2015 Rental Housing Finance Survey Available

The 2015 Rental Housing Finance Survey (RHFS) are now available on census.gov. This survey provides measures of financial, mortgage, and property characteristics of rental housing properties in the United States. Statistics include property, residential structure(s), and mortgage characteristics, ownership status, commercial use of space and benefits received. Internet address: <https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/rhfs.html>.

FHFA: Index Shows Mortgage Rates Increased in June 2017

Washington, D.C. – Nationally, interest rates on conventional purchase-money mortgages increased from May to June, according to several indices of new mortgage contracts. The National Average Contract Mortgage Rate for the Purchase of Previously Occupied Homes by Combined Lenders Index was 4.00 percent for loans closed in late June, up 13 basis points from 3.87…