Industry News

HUD: FHA Announces 2026 Loan Limits

New loan limits for Single Family Title II forward and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages Increase for calendar year 2026 Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration (FHA) announced loan limits for calendar year 2026 for its Single Family Title II forward and Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) mortgage insurance programs. Loan limits for most of the country will…

Federal Reserve: FRB Announces Reappointment of Reserve Bank Presidents and First Vice Presidents

Following a comprehensive review by the boards of directors of the regional Reserve Banks, and the unanimous concurrence of Federal Reserve Board members, the Federal Reserve on Thursday announced the reappointment of Federal Reserve Bank presidents and first vice presidents. By law, all Reserve Bank presidents and first vice presidents serve five-year terms, with each…

ICBA: ThinkTECH Accelerator Debuts 10th Cohort to Continue Driving Community Bank Innovation

The Independent Community Bankers of America® (ICBA) today announced the selected companies for the 10th iteration of its award-winning ICBA ThinkTECH Accelerator program (AP10). The solutions span a broad array of offerings – from responsible AI for compliance to tools that accelerate small business growth, modernize lending, expand investing options, and strengthen fraud defenses –…

OCC: Agency Confirms Bank Authority to Engage in Riskless Principal Crypto-Asset Transactions

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today confirmed permissible bank activities related to riskless principal transactions in crypto-assets. The OCC published Interpretive Letter 1188 confirming that a national bank may engage in riskless principal crypto-asset transactions as part of the business of banking.  Such transactions involve a bank acting as principal in…

OCC: Comptroller Gould Discusses De Novo Charters

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould today discussed the agency’s activities to reinvigorate the chartering of new banks following the 2008 financial crisis in remarks at the Blockchain Association Policy Summit. In his remarks, Comptroller Gould explained the importance of a robust pipeline of de novo banks to a healthy financial system and the…

SBA: All 8(a) Program Participants Ordered to Provide Financial Records by January 5th

Over 4,300 firms required to transmit financial data as part of ongoing effort to expose fraud, waste, and abuse Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) issued letters to all contractors within the 8(a) Business Development Program, requiring them to produce financial records as part of a comprehensive effort to protect taxpayers and legitimate small businesses by rooting…

SBA: Deadline for 2026 National Small Business Week Award Nominations Extended to December 22nd

Nominations Encouraged for Exceptional Entrepreneurs in Every State Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) extended the 2026 National Small Business Week awards nominations deadline to 2 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 22, 2025. National Small Business Week recognizes the contributions of America’s 36 million small businesses – which make up 99% of all businesses in America, create…

OCC: Comptroller Testifies on Agency Activities

Comptroller Jonathan V. Gould today testified on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) activities before the Committee on Financial Services of the U.S. House of Representatives. In his testimony, the Comptroller discussed the OCC’s work to reset its risk tolerance and refocus supervision on material financial risks so banks may better support…

OCC: Comptroller Issues Statement on Congressional Debanking Report

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould today issued the following statement on the release of the report titled “Operation Chokepoint 2.0: Biden’s Debanking of Digital Assets,” issued by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Committee majority staff. The congressional staff report on the Biden Administration’s coordinated effort to debank digital assets confirms what…

SBA: Agency Encourages Americans to Shop Small on Small Business Saturday®, November 29th

Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is encouraging Americans to support Main Streets across America by “shopping small” ahead of the holiday season on Small Business Saturday, November 29th. As one of the most important economic drivers of the year, Small Business Saturday, created by American Express, has generated over $220 billion* for independent retailers, restaurants, and…