BankThink New OCC chief should encourage banks, fintechs to partner with CDFIs

American Banker
Friday, February 19, 2021

As President Biden continues to select hundreds of key personnel to serve as the new administration, one crucial seat remains open: the next comptroller of the currency. The person who fills this role will have a profound impact on the entire banking industry over the course of their term. But there are two groups of financial institutions that have a particularly large stake in the game — community development financial institutions (CDFIs) and minority depository institutions (MDIs). But to keep this mission ongoing, it will require stronger partnerships between financial institutions and fintechs. The future leader of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will also play a critical role in this area since the OCC was the first bank regulator to push forward in recognizing fintechs as a part of the banking world — an effort that was supported by OCC leaders of the previous two administrations.