Recent News
"The Federal Reserve's chief regulator praised industry efforts to expand access to financial services but cautioned that such initiatives can present financial stability risks.
While banks have played a 'pivotal role' in improving financial inclusion, Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr said their reliance on financial technology, or fintech, partners to do so creates risks that must be carefully managed.
'Innovations in banking services are important to improving financial inclusion,' Barr said. 'But to have a durable impact on society, innovations must be adopted... Read more
"The Mission Driven Bank Fund (MDBF) today announced its second close of $65 million, bringing the Fund to over $177 million of capital dedicated to supporting FDIC-insured Minority Depository Institution (MDI) and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) banks in closing the racial wealth gap.
The Fund welcomed new limited partners, which include banks with assets ranging from $6 billion to over $150 billion. Some of the bank limited partners participating in the second close include Lake City Bank, Enterprise Bank & Trust, Hancock Whitney Bank, and Banner Bank."
Congratulations to all of our members included on ICBA's 2024 Top Lenders lists!
"Whether it's navigating tumultuous markets or providing employees with remote work options, flexibility is a key component in the success of this year's ICBA top lenders. These community banks have stepped up to thoughtfully support customers' goals from application to completion."
"The Senate Banking Committee will consider the nomination of Christy Goldsmith Romero to chair the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. on July 11, the panel announced.
Goldsmith Romero, who currently sits on the board of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, was just recently announced as the Biden administration's pick to lead the FDIC in the wake of a workplace misbehavior scandal at the agency.
The committee, in the same hearing, will also consider the nominations of Caroline Crenshaw to be a member of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Kristin Johnson to be... Read more
"Technology has changed the way financial services companies operate. As financial institutions innovate and develop new solutions, an unfortunate side effect of the banking industry's growth is that some communities have been marginalized or ignored.
Community Development Bankers Association (CDBA) began in the early 2000s and is the national trade association of the community development bank sector. The organization has enjoyed stable leadership — Jeannine Jacokes has been CDBA's CEO since it began.
The association started shortly after the establishment by the U.S.... Read more
The CFPB has released its Fair Lending Annual Report to Congress, describing how the agency took action against unlawful discrimination and advanced access to fair credit in calendar year 2023.
"Because Congress charged the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) with the responsibility of overseeing many lenders and products, the CFPB has long used a risk-based approach to prioritizing supervisory examinations and enforcement activity. This approach helps ensure that the CFPB focuses on areas that present substantial risk of credit discrimination for consumers and small... Read more
"After a huge infusion of capital from the Treasury Department, community development financial and minority depository institutions needed deposits. A lot of deposits. So, they banded together to create a program for socially minded investors seeking to make an impact while ensuring their funds are safe.
'This is a new-money program,' said Brian Argrett, CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based City First Bank. 'It opens the window to start a deposit relationship and then to be able to figure out, in collaboration with that depositor, how else we can satisfy our mutual goals, particularly... Read more
"President Joe Biden's appointment of Christy Goldsmith Romero to head the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will put the longtime regulator atop a powerful agency that's been torched by findings of rampant harassment and toxic behavior.
If she's approved by the Senate, repairing that culture will be her first job. But she'll also be tasked with policing more than 4,500 banks that hold about $24 trillion in assets. And if you know Goldsmith Romero, you know she takes a dim view of regulators who downplay their enforcement responsibilities.
Here's how Goldsmith Romero once... Read more
The House Appropriations Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee has approved the Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act. The top line for the CDFI Fund is $276.6 million, which is approximately $48 million below the FY 24 enacted levels and the FY 25 budget request. Within that total, the draft bill recommends reductions for Bank Enterprise Award, FA/TA funding, Small Dollar loans, and no funding for Healthy Food Financing and Economic Mobility. NACA appropriations increase by $ 10 million.
"State Street Corp. in Boston has picked three more minority banks to receive a portion of the $100 million of deposits it plans to place this year at some of the nation's minority depository institutions.
Carver State Bank in Savannah, Georgia; Citizens Trust Bank in Atlanta; and Ponce Bank in New York City will each receive an undisclosed amount of deposits as part of State Street's program to provide low-cost, stable deposits to MDIs and community development financial institutions. The trio joins Optus Bank in Columbia, South Carolina, and M&F Bank in Durham, North Carolina... Read more
"Wealth managers Bank of New York Mellon Corp., Warburg Pincus & Co. and Blackstone Inc. tied up with advocacy trade groups Community Development Bankers Association and National Bankers Association to launch the Advancing Communities Together (ACT) deposit program, which aims to boost deposits at banks serving low-income and minority communities.
At launch, four major financial firms deposited $35 million in the program, with additional deposits anticipated from a broad range of depositors, including corporations, foundations and universities, according to a... Read more
"Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) . . . announced the 7(a) Working Capital Pilot (WCP) Program. The WCP offers a newly structured line of credit, made by 7(a) lenders and backed by the SBA, designed to give greater flexibility than a traditional term loan."
The Community Development Bankers Association (CDBA) and National Bankers
Association (NBA) are proud to announce the launch of the Advancing Communities Together (ACT)
Deposit Program. This innovative initiative is designed to channel vital funding to banks serving
low-income and minority communities while also ensuring all deposits are eligible for FDIC insurance.
At launch, four major financial firms have deposited $35 million in the program, with additional deposits
anticipated from a broad range of depositors, including corporations, foundations, and... Read more
"It has been my honor to serve at the FDIC as Chairman, Vice Chairman, and Director since August of 2005. Throughout that time I have faithfully carried out the critically important mission of the FDIC to maintain public confidence and stability in the banking system. In light of recent events, I am prepared to step down from my responsibilities once a successor is confirmed. Until that time, I will continue to fulfill my responsibilities as Chairman of the FDIC, including the transformation of the FDIC's workplace culture."
"CBC Bancorp, the holding company for Commercial Bank of California (CBC), announces it has entered into a definitive acquisition agreement with Bay Community Bancorp (OTC Pink: CBOBA), the holding company for Community Bank of the Bay (CBB). Under the terms of the agreement, CBC Bancorp will acquire Bay Community Bancorp in an all-cash transaction valued at $14.00 per common share. This acquisition merges institutions from two of California's largest banking markets, resulting in approximately $3.5 billion in combined assets.
'The alignment of our two institutions will create a... Read more
"The CFPB has announced that, in light of court orders in ongoing litigation, it plans to issue an interim final rule to extend the compliance dates set forth in the small business lending rule.
More information about the compliance date extension is available at www.consumerfinance.gov/1071-rule/."
"The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding is constitutional and satisfies the requirements of the Appropriations Clause.
The majority 7-2 opinion by Justice Clarence Thomas was joined by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. and Justices Elena Kagan, Brett M. Kavanaugh, Sonia Sotomayor, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson. A dissenting opinion was filed by Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., who was joined by Justice Neil M. Gorsuch. A separate concurring opinion was filed by Justice Kagan, joined by Justices Sotomayor, Kavanaugh and... Read more
"Today, the House Financial Services Committee, led by Chairman Patrick McHenry (NC-10), reported eleven pieces of legislation out of Committee favorably to the full House for consideration. These include a slate of financial institutions, capital markets, and housing legislation to improve efficiency and accountability at federal agencies, as well as expand economic opportunity."
"Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) released a letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee on Fiscal Year 2025 CDFI Fund appropriations. A total of 48 Senators signed the letter, which supported an appropriation of $325 million for the Fund. The letter includes 11 Members of the Appropriations Committee and 4 Republican Senators: Rounds (SD), Daines (MT), Crapo (ID), and Cassidy (LA). Sens. Crapo and Daines signed on the for the first time. Sens. Warner and Crapo are Co-Chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Community Development Finance Caucus. Other Caucus Members who signed include Klobuchar (D-MN... Read more
"The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today released a report quantifying sales of loans by Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs). The report, "Examining the Origination and Sale of Loans by Community Development Financial Institutions," finds the amount of loans originated by CDFIs more than doubled between 2018 and 2022, reaching $67 billion. The amount of loans sold by CDFIs also more than doubled during the same period, reaching $14.2 billion, the report finds."