FEMA: President Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Hawaii
FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Hawaii to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Lowell from Sept. 6-9, 2026. Federal funding assistance through FEMA’s Public Assistance program is available to state and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency…
HUD: Next Generation Housing Action Plan Announced
Outlines modernization of HUD Code and opportunities for manufactured housing innovation Following the successful Sixth Annual Innovative Housing Showcase, HUD unveiled its Next Generation Manufactured Housing Action Plan to communicate its plan to modernize and support updated codes and guidance to define the next fifty years of affordable, factory-built housing. Fifty years after the creation of the…
ICBA: New Polling Shows Public Support for Strengthening Reporting Rules for Tax-Exempt Credit Unions
With a multimillion-dollar embezzlement scandal leading to the closure opens in a new tabof a tax-exempt credit union just days after its former CEO pleaded guilty opens in a new tabto federal criminal charges, new polling data from the Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) shows strong public support for requiring tax-exempt credit unions to join the vast majority…
SBA: Over $7 Million Awarded to Create Nine New Regional Innovation Clusters
New RICs Will Counsel Small Business Suppliers Across Critical Supply Chains, Expanding Domestic Industrial Capacity Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced more than $7 million in awards to establish nine new Regional Innovation Clusters (RICs) supporting small businesses and startups in biotechnology, defense, advanced manufacturing, and transportation. The clusters will serve as regional hubs connecting…
OCC: Agency Hails 2026 Update to U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today hailed the 2026 update to the U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy, underscoring the agency’s commitment to helping Americans develop practical skills to make sound financial decisions, build greater financial security, and pursue economic opportunity. “When Americans understand how our financial system works, they are…
ICBA: ICBA Sues OCC Over National Trust Bank Charters for Crypto Firms
Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued the following statement on the lawsuit filed today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) for authorizing novel entities primarily dealing in cryptocurrencies to enter the banking system without being subject…
Treasury: The Financial Literacy and Education Commission Releases the 2026 Update to the U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy
The U.S. Department of the Treasury applauded the release of the 2026 update to the U.S. National Strategy for Financial Literacy from the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (FLEC), which is chaired by the Secretary of the Treasury and is composed of the heads of 23 federal agencies and the White House Domestic Policy Council. “The newest United States…
SBA: $3.75 Million Awarded to Train Veteran-Owned Small Businesses to Compete for Federal Contracts
New Training Program Offers Veterans an Onramp into Federal Procurement Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced it has awarded a $3.75 million grant over five years to the Maryland-based Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation Veterans Institute for Procurement (MCCCF-VIP). The organization will operate the Veteran Federal Procurement Entrepreneurship Training Program (VFPETP), a nationwide initiative…
SBA: $5.3 Million Awarded to Expand National Women’s Business Center Network
New Centers Will Support Women Entrepreneurs in Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced five grant recipients under its new Women’s Business Center (WBC) Modernization Initiative, awarding a combined $5.3 million to expand statewide support networks for women entrepreneurs in Florida, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia. The Initiative…