The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s (FDIC) proposed Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rule would weaken bank obligations to invest, lend and provide services in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities, while reducing transparency and accountability.
The Proposed 2026 CRA Rollbacks: Key Takeaways and Why it Matters Read More »
Complete the form to download the pdf: Yes, send me updates by email about NCRC research, events and news. Download Now Complete the form to download the pdf: Download July 21, 2026 The Honorable Hakeem Jeffries Democratic Leader U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Katherine Clark Democratic Whip U.S. House
NCRC Opposes HR 6955: The Main Street Capital Access Act Read More »
Complete the form to download the pdf: Yes, send me updates by email about NCRC research, events and news. Download Now Complete the form to download the pdf: Download July 23, 2026 Clinton Jones General Counsel Attention: Comments Enterprise Duty to Serve Underserved Markets RIN 2590–AB64 Federal Housing Finance Agency 400 Seventh Street
The Office of the Comptroller Currency (OCC) recently proposed a rule that could reduce investment in communities of color and open the door for more lending discrimination. The agency aims to remove any references to “minority and women-owned entities” in their list of eligible public welfare investment activities that banks can undertake. The OCC is also proposing
OCC’s Proposed Rule Could Undermine Investment in Communities of Color Read More »
NCRC Analysis of the CFPB’s Section 1071 Rule of 2026 June 2026 Complete the form to download the pdf: Yes, send me updates by email about NCRC research, events and news. Download Now Complete the form to download the pdf: Download Analysis Josh Silver, Senior Fellow Introduction As part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform
NCRC Analysis of the CFPB’s Section 1071 Rule of 2026 Read More »
The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) mandates that banks invest in the communities they serve, with a particular focus on reinvestment efforts in low- and moderate-income (LMI) communities. Banks are required to fulfill this obligation by providing access to credit through safe, nonpredatory practices. Although these mandates are often viewed as compliance requirements, that perspective overlooks
“LULUs” sounds like a funny word, but the health burdens tied to LULUs are no laughing matter. Locally unwanted land uses (LULUs) – industrial sites, highways, power plants and waste facilities – are essential to how cities function. However, living close to them can also mean greater exposure to pollution, excessive noise and other environmental
A Guide to Creating CRA Strategic Plans with Transparency and Community Input.
Making CRA Strategic Plans Work: A Framework for Meaningful Community Reinvestment Read More »
The anti-redlining movement took shape in the 1970s as a response to long-standing obstacles that made it difficult for all communities to prosper. Financial companies engaged in redlining by mapping out neighborhoods they refused to serve. Loans to people of color were denied at higher rates, or originated at higher costs, to the borrower. Blind
Founded in 1973, the Empire Justice Center (EJC) is a legal advocacy nonprofit that fights for social and economic justice for disenfranchised New Yorkers by protecting and expanding their legal rights. Using a multi-pronged approach that focuses on litigation, education and advocacy efforts, EJC has provided services to more than 12 million people across a
After years of accelerating bank branch closures that doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s bank branch network appears to be approaching a new historic low despite a slowing rate of closures. The most recent data shows that 584 net branch closures occurred between 2024 and 2025. This is a dramatic slowdown from the 200 net
Bank Branch Closures Slow, But Shifting Demographics Cloud the Picture Read More »
The formal segregation of housing finance imposed by 20th century redlining was officially withdrawn decades ago. Yet, the lines of those old redlining maps remain etched into the landscape of many American cities. Recently, we’ve been told by skeptics, like some academics and banks, that redlining is ancient history. That the federal and banking industry
Historic Redlining’s Effects on Home Mortgages Today Read More »
The nation’s largest crypto firms are looking to consolidate their power to the detriment of their customers and communities already lacking vital consumer protections and economic development opportunities. As more and more digital currency companies are vying for financial legitimacy by becoming a national trust bank via the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Locally-owned small businesses are almost universally admired. Yet, in a banking industry where bigger is seen as better, warm words rarely translate into hard cash. Small businesses have become a viable pathway towards economic mobility for entrepreneurs and the cornerstone of community development revitalization efforts in historically underinvested communities. However, minority-owned businesses have had to
Nestled in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Woodstock Institute has been working to advance economic justice and racial equity within financial systems at the local, state and national levels for over 50 years. The organization was founded in 1973 by Chicago philanthropists Sylvia and Aaron Scheinfeld as the program arm of the couple’s foundation
