When Regulators Overhaul Bank Merger Rules, They Should Heed Key Lessons From NCRC’s Community Benefits Agreements
Biden officials want to strengthen bank merger review guidelines. Here’s what they can learn from NCRC’s work with banks.
Legislative and Regulatory
Local community groups and leaders often do not have the resources to maintain regular oversight and provide input to policymakers in Washington, DC. Through personal visits, mailings, telephone conference calls, a members-only listserv, and other initiatives, NCRC members are regularly able to communicate their opinions to Capitol Hill. It is this nationwide collaboration that empowers NCRC before legislative and regulatory agencies.
NCRC and its members have succeeded in:
Changing the system that holds banks accountable under the fair lending laws and the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
Preserving CRA from continuous efforts to weaken it.
Lowering the threshold by which bank regulators declare a lender to be engaged in predatory lending practices.
Increasing the availability and usability of lending data made available by bank regulatory agencies.
Helping establish the creation of statewide and local anti-predatory lending ordinances and laws.
NCRC’s policy positions are determined via consultation with its membership and a vote of the NCRC Board. The NCRC 2012 Policy Agenda addresses the following issues:
Priorities of A Just Economy:
Fairness
Extend the income tax exemption for forgiven mortgage debt (principal reductions). If Congress fails to act, the exemption will expire on December 31, 2012.
Opportunity
Push the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to start requiring banks to report lending to small businesses, women-owned businesses, and minority-owned businesses in 2012. More transparency will lead to more opportunity.
Accountability
Pressure the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council to release updated regulations governing the enforcement of the Community Reinvestment Act.
Access
Urge regulators to enforce the Community Reinvestment Act by ensuring that bank branches remain open in underserved communities.
Stability
Support Project Rebuild as the right tool to jumpstart the nation’s economy by rehabilitating properties in communities across all 50 states and creating nearly 200,000 new jobs.
Security
Fight to reauthorize the Older Americans Act and protect the economic security of America’s seniors by making it easier and more affordable to age in place.
Knowledge
Advocate to fully restore funding for HUD’s housing counseling program back to the 2010 level of $87.5 million. Access to information is the cheapest and most effective way to prevent another housing crisis.
For more information, please click this link to read NCRC’s 2012 Policy Agenda .
Congressional Republicans Are Trying To Kill CFPB’s Section 1071 Small Business Lending Rules Before They Take Effect
Anyone who wants to build a more just economy should be aware of this tactic and ready to fight it – not just on Section 1071 but on other big pending reforms.
Fatal Flaws In Draft Crypto Regulations From House Republicans Mean Lawmakers Should Start Over
Crypto regulations proposed by House Republicans would help unscrupulous digital asset creators prey upon retail investors.
NCRC Statement: New Affordable Housing Legislation From Maxine Waters Deserves A Floor Vote
These bills are an opportunity for congressional leadership to show that both parties view affordable housing as a national priority.
NCRC Statement On Release Of HUD’s Disparate Impact Rule
A critical set of affordable housing policy tools is getting restored. Here’s what NCRC President & CEO Jesse Van Tol had to say about the news:
NCRC Statement On Release Of HUD’s Disparate Impact Rule Read More »
NCRC Statement In Opposition To The TABS Act
“The TABS Act is a free pass to Wall Street and a threat to household finances for the rest of us.”
NCRC Statement In Opposition To The TABS Act Read More »
The Racial History Of Planning In Atlanta Sounds Alarm Bells For CRA Reform Efforts
From the Beltline to MARTA expansion to the 1996 Olympics, Atlanta’s community development planning history provides stark warnings for regulators.
The Racial History Of Planning In Atlanta Sounds Alarm Bells For CRA Reform Efforts Read More »
CRA Comments Review, Part 4: What Did Regulators Hear From Other Policymakers?
Part Four of a four-part series examining trends in comment letters sent to regulators about pending Community Reinvestment Act reforms.
CRA Comments Review, Part 4: What Did Regulators Hear From Other Policymakers? Read More »
NCRC Statement On Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule
Housing segregation and discrimination are not bygone issues. They continue, in 2023, to severely limit opportunity and undermine economic justice nationwide.
NCRC Statement On Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Rule Read More »
NCRC Comment Advises Regulators To Create A Publicly Available Auto Lending Database
The CFPB should create a large, robust and user-friendly public database for the uniquely high-pressure, low-transparency auto lending market.
NCRC Comment Advises Regulators To Create A Publicly Available Auto Lending Database Read More »
Data Disclosure Laws Lose Power If The CFPB Makes Data Hard To Use
The CFPB’s dissemination of HMDA data is a cautionary tale that must not be repeated in the dissemination of the Section 1071 data.
Data Disclosure Laws Lose Power If The CFPB Makes Data Hard To Use Read More »
Community Groups Urge Tighter Rules For Bank Merger Reviews
Merger review processes have received new attention from the Biden administration, which is taking a ‘whole-of-government approach’ to reviving competition.
Community Groups Urge Tighter Rules For Bank Merger Reviews Read More »
CRA Comments Review, Part 3: What Are Banks And Trade Groups Worried About – Or Embracing?
Part Three in a four-part series examining Community Reinvestment Act reform recommendations in public comment letters.
CRA Comments Review, Part 2: What Do Healthcare And Climate Resiliency Advocates Want From Regulators?
Part Two in a four-part series examining Community Reinvestment Act reform recommendations in public comment letters.
CRA Comments Review, Part 1: What Are Regulators Hearing On Race And Small Business Issues In CRA Reform?
Part One of a four-part series examining trends in comment letters sent to regulators about pending Community Reinvestment Act reforms.