ABA: New Banker Guide Released to Drive Community Engagement and Advance Inclusive Economic Solutions
The ABA Foundation today released “Community Conversations: Keys to Engaging Communities and Driving Inclusive Economic Solutions,” a new guide designed to help banks deepen their partnerships with community stakeholders and foster new cross-sector strategies to move people along the path to economic mobility and prosperity. The new resource offers a community engagement assessment to help bankers reflect…
FEMA: President Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Oklahoma
FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Oklahoma to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding beginning on April 25, 2024 and continuing. The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Hughes, Love and Murray counties. Assistance can include grants…
Census Bureau: New Justice Outcomes Explorer Data Product Released
The U.S. Census Bureau today released a new experimental data product, the Justice Outcomes Explorer (JOE), that measures the economic and health outcomes of people who were charged with criminal offenses, released from prison, or began probation or parole sentences. The outcomes measured include employment, earnings, government program participation, and mortality. JOE is a collaboration between the…
SBA: New Rule Announced to Increase Economic Opportunity for Returning Citizens
New SBA Rule Will Make it Easier for Returning Citizens to Start and Run a Business, Creating Economic Opportunity and Reducing Recidivism Today, Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the voice for America’s 33 million small businesses in President Biden’s Cabinet, announced that the Biden-Harris Administration has finalized a new rule…
HUD: New Guidance Issued to Protect Borrowers from Appraisal Bias
Federal Housing Administration’s new Reconsideration of Value policy requires lenders to provide a pathway for borrowers to request reviews of home appraisal valuations. Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), announced a major new step in the Department’s work to protect borrowers from racial or ethnic…
HUD: Disaster Assistance Announced for Washington Survivors
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the implementation of federal disaster assistance for the State of Washington and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides from January 5 to January 29, 2024….
HUD: Disaster Assistance Announced for Kansas Survivors
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced the implementation of federal disaster assistance for Kansas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by a severe winter storm from January 8 to January 16, 2024. President Biden issued a major disaster declaration in the counties…
FHFA: Enterprise Reconsideration of Value Policies Announced
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) published new Reconsideration of Value (ROV) policies after months of collaboration with FHFA and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Federal Housing Administration. A Reconsideration of Value is a request to an appraiser to re-assess the…
CFPB: New Report Higlights the Hidden Costs of Health Savings Accounts
Many HSAs suffer from low interest rate yields and junk fees to switch The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today released a report detailing the complex costs and fees that many consumers with health savings accounts are forced to pay. There were approximately 36 million health savings accounts in 2023 – holding more than $116 billion. These…
ABA: Foundation Accepting Submissions for 12th Annual Community Commitment Awards
Today, the American Bankers Association Foundation announced it is now accepting submissions for its 12th annual Community Commitment Awards. The Foundation is encouraging banks of all sizes to enter their most successful community initiatives for the awards, ABA’s highest honors for extraordinary community engagement. The CCAs recognize innovative, high-impact bank programs that improve the quality of…