In the News

April 30, 2026, WJLA, Historic Redlining Continues To Color Mortgage Odds, Wealth Opportunities Today The Fair Housing Act of 1968 made redlining illegal, but the old red lines still influence who can and can’t get a mortgage today.  The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), a nonprofit organization focused on underserved communities, analyzed Home Mortgage Disclosure

May 5, 2026, ShelterForce, When The Feds Step Back On Fair Housing, Can States Step Up? At the beginning of the Trump administration’s second term, the regulators in charge of implementing the CRA—the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Federal Reserve Board, and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency—came under new leadership and in July

April 29, 2026, News USA Today, Nashville & Beyond: The National Affordability Crisis The affordability crisis isn’t just a personal problem; it’s an economic one. Businesses are struggling to attract and retain talent as workers are priced out of the area. This is particularly concerning for industries that rely on a skilled workforce, such as

April 29, 2026, FoodNavigator, What A New Bill Could Mean For Small Businesses Shut Out Of SBA Loans Supporters of the Investing in the American Dream Act argue the economic consequences extend beyond individual borrowers. Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.), whose 12th Congressional District is home to communities speaking more than 150 languages, said immigrant small

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

May 1, 2026, News USA Today, Orlando Event Venue: $400M Stadium & Downtown Redevelopment Plan The proposed expansion of the Community Redevelopment Agency’s boundary is perhaps the most contentious aspect of the plan. CRA’s are designed to reinvest property tax revenue in designated areas, with the goal of stimulating economic growth and improving quality of

April 30, 2026, Bankrate, Historic Redlining Continues To Color Mortgage Odds, Wealth Opportunities Today  The Fair Housing Act of 1968 made redlining illegal, but the old red lines still influence who can and can’t get a mortgage today.  The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), a nonprofit organization focused on underserved communities, analyzed Home Mortgage Disclosure

April 28, 2026, U.S. Senate Committee On Small Business & Entrepreneurship, Ranking Members Markey, Velázquez, Democrats Introduce Legislation To Protect The American Dream For Immigrant Entrepreneurs (Washington, April 28) – Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today introduced the Investing in the American Dream Act at a press conference alongside House Small Business Committee Ranking Member Nydia Velázquez (D-NY-7), Congressional

April 28, 2026, BizSugar, Legislation Aims To Safeguard American Dream For Immigrant Entrepreneurs This proposed act has garnered robust support from various congressional leaders and small business advocates, who emphasize the critical role of immigrant entrepreneurs in driving economic growth. Gregory Dyson, Executive Vice President of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, pointed out, “When qualified

April 27, 2026, The Van Wert Independent, Bank Book Drive In Van Wert, Delphos Facilitating opportunities to enhance financial literacy is an important element of First Financial’s community development strategy. First Financial has been conducting local book drives since 2022, and last year’s drive brought in 5,726 books from throughout First Financial’s footprint. First Financial

April 27, 2026, The Lane Report, Louisville-area Book Drive To Support Financial Literacy  Facilitating opportunities to enhance financial literacy is an important element of First Financial’s community development strategy. First Financial has been conducting local book drives since 2022, and last year’s drive brought in 5,726 books from throughout First Financial’s footprint. First Financial also

April 27, 2026, American Banker, Much-Maligned Small-Business Data Rule Close To Finish Line When Vought was appointed acting director by President Trump, he said the CFPB would not comply with the 1071 rule, and then issued an interim final rule that extended the compliance deadlines by another year, to July 2026. The 2025 proposal extended compliance until January 2028.

April 23, 2026, World Today News, CFPB Finalizes Regulation B Rule Aligning With Industry-Backed Proposal on Equal Credit Opportunity Act Updates The rule also revises small business lending coverage thresholds under Regulation B, a change that could reclassify thousands of lenders as “financial institutions” subject to additional reporting requirements. According to the FDIC’s Q4 2025

April 22, 2026, American Banker, CFPB finalizes new ECOA rule in major fair lending pivot “The rule is a major step back,” said Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National CommunityReinvestment Coalition. “It’s going to be much tougher to prove discrimination, at least during theTrump administration.”

April 21, 2026, Troy Today, Troy University program gains state, national attention for entrepreneurship workforce model In the same week, Troy University’s Small Business Development Center was invited to present its Start Your Business program at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition’s Just Economy Conference in Washington, D.C., and at the Alabama Summit on Talent Retention and Work-Based Learning in Birmingham.