Census Bureau: Household Pulse Survey Phase 3.1 Biweekly Data Released
The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data from phase 3.1 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey. Phase 3.1 includes substantial revisions to the questionnaire. Additional questions address the following new topics: disability, child health access, telehealth and child care. Also included are demographic questions to identify service members and military spouses, and questions to classify respondents employed…
SBA: Last Call for Restaurant Revitalization Fund Applications
Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman announced that eligible eating establishments have until Monday, May 24, 8 p.m. ET, to submit applications to the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. “If our nation’s food and beverage industry is going to fully recover, we must ensure as many of the hardest-hit businesses get the economic aid they need,” said Administrator Guzman….
SBA: New HUBZones Announced to Expand Federal Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman today announced the expansion of HUBZone, a program that provides small businesses in low-income communities that hire low-income residents opportunities to compete in the federal marketplace. The announcement makes Illinois the first state to have the newly created Governor-Designated Covered HUBZones. “This expansion of HUBZone areas in…
FHFA: Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Proposed Duty to Serve Underserved Markets Plans for 2022-2024 Announced
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today published the proposed 2022-2024 Underserved Markets Plans submitted by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) under the Duty to Serve (DTS) program. The proposed Plans cover the period from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2024. FHFA issued a final rule in 2016 that implemented the DTS provisions as…
OCC: Implementation of June 2020 CRA Final Rule Being Reconsidered
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2020, a final rule (June 2020 rule) to modernize the agency’s regulations under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The OCC has determined that it will reconsider the June 2020 rule. While this reconsideration is ongoing, the OCC will not object…
OCC: Report Examines Key Risks, Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Federal Banking System
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today reported the key issues facing the federal banking system and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the federal banking industry in its Semiannual Risk Perspective for Spring 2021. Banks maintained sound capital and liquidity levels but profitability remains stressed due to low interest rates and…
ABA: Report Shows Addressing Unbanked & Underbanked Challenges Requires Multifaceted Approach
Enhancing existing programs, highlighting no- and low-cost bank account offerings, improving financial education, expanding broadband internet access, and encouraging the opening of bank accounts during government benefit program enrollment will help address the unbanked/underbanked challenge in the United States. A new report, Delivering Financial Products and Services to the Unbanked and Underbanked in the United States…
FEMA: Operational Guidance for Disaster Response and Recovery in Pandemic Environment Announced
For the second year in a row, FEMA is prepared to respond to disasters as the nation continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. FEMA released the “COVID-19 Pandemic Operational Guidance: All-Hazards Incident Response and Recovery,” a document aimed at helping emergency managers plan for disaster response and recovery, while adhering to public health guidelines…
Census Bureau: Small Business Pulse Survey Phase 5 Begins
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced the beginning of data collection for Phase 5 of the Small Business Pulse Survey (SBPS). This experimental survey was designed to measure temporal economic trends in the nation’s small businesses and provide insight into the scope of impact of the pandemic response in the United States. No significant changes were made…
HUD: $5 Billion Announced to House People Experiencing Homelessness
Secretary Fudge: “With HUD’s swift allocation of this $5 billion in American Rescue Plan funding, we are providing communities the resources to give homes to the people who have had to endure the COVID-19 pandemic without one.” U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge today announced the allocation of $5…