April 30, 2026, Hoodline, CFPB Finalizes Scaled-Back Small-Biz Census Rule
Industry groups, which had blasted the original rule as unworkable, are treating the overhaul as a long-awaited correction. The Texas Bankers Association said it was “very pleased” to see the CFPB reissue the rule to fix what it called serious flaws in the 2023 version. The Independent Community Bankers of America praised the reconsideration for easing what it described as “intrusive and overly burdensome” reporting demands. Bank trade groups argue that a narrower rule will better protect relationship lending and keep compliance costs from landing on borrowers’ backs.
Civil-rights advocates see the same revisions as a step backward. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition has warned that shrinking the dataset would undercut Section 1071’s core purpose of spotlighting discrimination and credit gaps. The Center for Responsible Lending and allied civil-rights groups argued in formal comments that the changes would weaken enforcement tools and make it harder to build the evidence base needed for targeted help to minority- and women-owned small businesses.
