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 –…
FHFA: Deemed-Issuance Ratio for 2026 Announced
Ratio changes to 52 Percent Freddie Mac and 48 Percent Fannie Mae U.S. Federal Housing (Federal Housing Finance Agency or FHFA) today announced the deemed-issuance ratio for the 2026 calendar year in accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) guidelines on the trading of the Uniform Mortgage-Backed Security (UMBS). The deemed-issuance ratio is used for diversification reporting on the…
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…
EDA: U.S. Department of Commerce Hosts Economic Development Roundtable in Columbia, SC Highlighting Disaster Funding Opportunities
Today, Rob McLeod, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the U.S. Department of Commerce, and Ben Page, Deputy Assistant Secretary and Chief Operating Officer at the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), hosted a roundtable discussion with local officials and economic leaders in Columbia to discuss initiatives driving local economic development following natural disasters. This event highlighted…
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…
Interagency Statement Issued on OCC and FDIC Withdrawal from the Interagency Leveraged Lending Guidance Issuances
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (collectively “the agencies”) are rescinding the “Interagency Guidance on Leveraged Lending” (“2013 Guidance”), dated March 21, 2013, and the “Frequently Asked Questions for Implementing March 2013 Interagency Guidance on Leveraged Lending” (“2014 FAQs”), dated November 7, 2014. The agencies expect banks…
ABA: Bank Economists Note That Credit Outlook Improves Amid Continued Softening
While the outlook for credit conditions over the next six months has improved, bank economists expect continued softening in credit quality and availability given the prospect of persistent labor market headwinds, according to the American Bankers Association’s latest Credit Conditions Index released today. ABA’s Credit Conditions Index is a suite of indices derived from the…
SBA: Record Holiday Spending and Consumer Turnout Underscore Rising Economic Confidence
Nearly 203 million Americans shopped over the Thanksgiving weekend Today, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) highlighted record-breaking consumer engagement over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend as strong evidence that confidence in the U.S. economy, which is anchored by small businesses, is returning under President Trump’s pro-growth economic agenda. According to new data released by the National Retail Federation (NRF),…