FEMA: President Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Rhode Island for January 2024
FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Rhode Island to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding on Jan. 9-13, 2024. The president’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Kent, Providence and Washington counties. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing…
FEMA: President Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Maine
FEMA announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of Maine to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding on Jan. 9-13, 2024. The president’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Cumberland, Hancock, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Waldo, Washington and York counties. Federal funding also is…
Census Bureau: Household Pulse Survey Phase 4.0 Monthly Data Released
The U.S. Census Bureau today released new data from phase 4.0 of the experimental Household Pulse Survey (HPS). The HPS is an effort by the Census Bureau and other federal statistical agencies to measure how emergent issues are impacting U.S. households from a social and economic perspective. Topics for phase 4.0 include employment status, spending, food security, housing,…
HUD: First-of-its-Kind Report to Congress on the Housing Needs of Survivors of Human Trafficking Released
Department provides assessment of housing needs for trafficking survivors experiencing homelessness or housing instability Today, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a report that assesses the availability and accessibility of housing and services for individuals experiencing homelessness or housing instability who are survivors of trafficking or at risk of being trafficked….
FDIC: Public Comment Sought on Proposed Revisions to FDIC Statement of Policy on Bank Merger Transactions
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Board of Directors today approved a Federal Register notice seeking public comment on proposed revisions to the agency’s Statement of Policy (revised SOP) on Bank Merger Transactions. “This proposed Statement of Policy would update, strengthen, and clarify the FDIC’s approach to evaluating mergers under the Bank Merger Act,” said Chairman Martin…
Agencies Extend Applicability Date of Certain Provision of the CRA Final Rule
Federal bank regulatory agencies today jointly issued an interim final rule that extends the applicability date of certain provisions in their Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) final rule issued in October 2023. The agencies also requested comment on the extension. To promote clarity and consistency, the agencies extended the applicability date of the facility-based assessment areas…
ABA: Report Finds Farm Bank Lending Increased to $110 Billion in 2023
Banks reported holding over 1.1 million small farm loans worth $70 billion Amid elevated production costs, commodity price volatility and a return to pre-pandemic levels of direct government payments, agricultural loan demand increased in 2023 and agricultural lending by U.S. farm banks grew 6.7% to $110.0 billion, according the American Bankers Association’s annual Farm Bank…
FHFA: 2024 Generative AI in Housing Finance TechSprint Announced
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) today announced its second TechSprint, an in-person team-based problem-solving event hosted by its Office of Financial Technology. FHFA’s Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Housing Finance TechSprint will bring together technology, regulatory, housing, and consumer finance experts to identify use cases (or specific scenarios) and associated control measures to support…
OCC: Registration Opens for OCC Project REACh Summit on Financial Inclusion
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today announced that registration is open for its Project REACh Financial Inclusion Summit on May 29-30, 2024, at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The OCC’s Project REACh, or the Roundtable for Economic Access and Change, brings together leaders from the banking industry, national civil rights organizations,…
ABA: Consumer Survey Data Unveiled on Debit Cards, Overdraft and Other Banking Issues
In the wake of the Federal Reserve’s recent proposal to further lower the price cap on the debit interchange merchants pay to process debit card transactions, a new survey conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Bankers Association finds that consumers are happy with their debit cards and think the government should leave…