Month: August 2025

SBA: Nominations Open for 2026 National Small Business Week Awards

Nominate America’s Great Entrepreneurs in Every State Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) opened nominations for the 2026 National Small Business Week Awards. National Small Business Week recognizes the contributions of America’s 36 million small businesses – which make up 99% of all businesses in America, create two out of every three new jobs, and employ about…

Federal Reserve: Agency Announces It Will Sunset Its Novel Activities Supervison Program

Federal Reserve will return to monitoring banks’ novel activities through the normal supervisory process The Federal Reserve Board on Friday announced that it will sunset its novel activities supervision program and return to monitoring banks’ novel activities through the normal supervisory process. Since the Board started its program to supervise certain crypto and fintech activities…

ABA: Bank Trade Associations Respond to Financial Technology Association Letter that Seeks to Mislead Trump Administration about Open Banking

The Financial Technology Association teamed up with an interesting mix of data aggregators and fintech companies to issue a letter to the President today urging the Administration to undermine free markets and engage in government price fixing. The American Bankers Association, the Bank Policy Institute and Consumer Bankers Association issued this response: Banks don’t charge consumers…

Treasury: Federal Goverment Will Phase Out Paper Checks on September 30th

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced that the federal government will stop issuing paper checks for most federal payments on September 30, 2025. If you are one of the few people who still receives a federal benefit check, it’s time to switch to an electronic payment method.  “Reducing paper checks has been a longstanding…

SBA: SBA and EPA Announce New Guidance to Ease Diesel Exhaust Mandates for Small Businesses and Small Farms

Guidance expected to save family farmers $727 million annually Today, U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin in Des Moines, Iowa to announce new action to protect American farmers, truckers, and diesel equipment operators from sudden speed and power losses caused by diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) mandates. EPA’s new…

FDIC: Acting Chairman Travis Hill Issues Statement on Executive Order Titled “Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans”

The FDIC fully supports President Trump’s Executive Order on politicized or unlawful debanking. As I’ve said in the past, debanking law-abiding customers is unacceptable and regulators must work to end it. The FDIC has taken several actions to further that objective, and soon, we plan to issue a rulemaking that would prohibit examiners from criticizing institutions on the basis…

ICBA: Statement Issued on Executive Order on Ensuring Access to Fair Banking

Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on today’s executive order from President Donald Trump on ensuring fair banking for all Americans.  “Community banks are built to provide fair access to consumers given their long-standing and proven commitments to serving individuals, families, and small businesses in…

OCC: Comptroller Gould Issues Statement on Executive Order “Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans”

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould today issued the following statement in support of the Executive Order, “Guaranteeing Fair Banking For All Americans,” issued by President Donald J. Trump: Fair access to financial services is a fundamental principle of the U.S. banking system. It is unacceptable for banks to discriminate against any customer on…

CDFI Fund: Upcoming Launch of a New Version of CDFI Information Mapping System (CIMS) Announced

The CDFI Fund is preparing to launch a new version of the CDFI Information Mapping System (CIMS), a web-based tool that enables organizations to visually plot eligible service areas and investments in support of their Certification or funding applications. The new version, CIMS5, will replace the existing version CIMS4, which will be retired and no…

ABA: Joint Bank Trade Statement Issued on Free and Fair Banking Executive Order

The American Bankers Association, Bank Policy Institute, Consumer Bankers Association and Financial Services Forum issued a statement today responding to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order to promote access to financial services in America. “Today’s Executive Order helps ensure all consumers and businesses are treated fairly, a goal the nation’s banks share with the Administration. It’s in…