FEMA: President Trump Approves Major Disaster Declaration for the Crow Tribe of Montana
FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the Crow Tribe of Montana to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds and flooding from May 18-22, 2025. Public assistance federal funding is available to the Crow Tribe of Montana and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for…
Census Bureau: The Cost of Homeownership Continues to Rise
The median monthly owner costs for U.S. homeowners with a mortgage increased to $2,035 in 2024 from $1,960 (inflation-adjusted) in 2023, according to new American Community Survey (ACS) 1-year estimates released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. “One way we measure housing affordability is based on how much households spend on selected costs such as mortgage payments, insurance, taxes,…
ICBA: ICBA Urges Congress to Ensure Deposit Insurance Reforms Enhance Small Business Coverage, Curb Favorable Too-Big-To-Fail Treatment
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today called on Congress to consider deposit insurance reforms that enhance coverage for small businesses, address the more favorable regulatory treatment the nation’s largest banks receive under the current framework, and ensure community banks are not penalized. In a statement for the record for today’s Senate Banking Committee hearing on…
ABA: ABA Testifies at Senate Banking Committee Hearing on Deposit Insurance Reform
Today, Kenneth Kelly, chairman and CEO of Detroit-based First Independence Bank and chair-elect of the American Bankers Association, will testify on behalf of ABA at a hearing of the Senate Banking Committee exploring perspectives on deposit insurance reform. In his testimony, Kelly outlined ABA’s perspective on how the deposit insurance system “could be modernized to reflect…
ICBA: New Analysis Shows Sharp Decreases in Small Business and Mortgge Lending Following Credit Union Acquisitions of Community Banks
The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) today released the results of a new data analysis demonstrating that the growth of tax-exempt credit unions acquiring tax-paying community banks is harming small businesses and local communities while community banks outperform credit unions in high-poverty areas. In a new blog post, ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey details ICBA’s…
Census Bureau: Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States 2024 Data Released
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced that real median household income was $83,730 in 2024, not statistically different from the 2023 estimate of $82,690. The official poverty rate fell 0.4 percentage points to 10.6% in 2024. The following 2024 findings were all not statistically different from 2023. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate in 2024…
Agencies Announce Third Public Outreach Meeting As Part of Their Review of Regulations Including CRA
Federal bank regulatory agencies will hold a hybrid public outreach meeting on October 30, 2025, in Kansas City, Missouri, as part of their review of regulations. The Economic Growth and Regulatory Paperwork Reduction Act (EGRPRA) requires the agencies, with input from the public, to review their regulations at least once every 10 years to identify…
OCC: Agency Elevates Bank Chartering Function; Names Stephen Lybarger as Senior Deputy Comptroller for Chartering, Organization and Structure
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today announced the elevation and renaming of its chartering and licensing function and the appointment of Stephen Lybarger as Senior Deputy Comptroller for Chartering, Organization and Structure. “The business of banking is innovating at a rapid pace. Elevating the OCC’s chartering and licensing activities to be…
CDFI Fund: Acceptance of Community Development Entity (CDE) Certification Applications Resumes
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) will resume acceptance of new Applications for certification as a Community Development Entity (CDE) effective September 9, 2025. The temporary “blackout” period, originally announced on May 5, 2025, was implemented to allow the CDFI Fund to assess and implement updates to the CDE Certification…
ABA: ABA Testifies Before Congress on Strengthening Bank Resilience and Modernizing Regulation
Hugh Carney, executive vice president for financial institutions policy and regulatory affairs at the American Bankers Association, will testify today before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions during a hearing titled “Promoting the Health of the Banking Sector: Reforming Resolution and Broadening Funding Access for Long-Term Resilience.” In his prepared testimony, Carney outlined four key policy…