Community Reinvestment Act Regulations

What it does

• •Proposes amendments to Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations administered by the OCC and FDIC, which have been in place since 1995, to refocus on encouraging banks to meet credit needs of their communities.
• •Seeks to improve how community development grants reach intended communities, reduce regulatory burden particularly for community banks, and provide greater clarity on obtaining CRA consideration.
• •Includes technical changes to CRA sunshine requirements under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and related rules governing public welfare investments and corporate activities.

Why it matters

• •The CRA is the statutory basis requiring banks to serve the credit needs of their communities; these regulatory changes clarify and refocus implementation after nearly 30 years under the 1995 rules.
• •The proposed changes aim to reduce unnecessary compliance burden on community banks while ensuring community development funding reaches intended beneficiaries.
• •Provides regulated banks and stakeholders with updated guidance on how to demonstrate and receive CRA credit for meeting community credit needs.

Who is affected

• •Insured depository institutions (banks and savings associations whose deposits are insured by the FDIC) supervised by the OCC and FDIC.
• •Communities receiving community development grants and credit from regulated banks.
• •Community development organizations and other entities that interact with banks on CRA-related activities.

What happens next

The agencies are accepting public comments on the proposed rule until October 13, 2026, through Regulations.gov (OCC docket OCC-2026-0694) and the FDIC website (RIN 3064-AG31).