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The ICBA Newsroom collects and centralizes all the NewsWatch Today articles, press releases, Main Street Matters blogs, advocacy letters and other news that impacts community bankers.

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Senator ups pressure to address EIDL-PPP conflict

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) called on Senate Small Business Committee leaders to resolve the conflict between Economic Injury Disaster Loan advances and the Paycheck Protection Program that ICBA has repeatedly spotlighted.
November 02, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

Fed increases access to Main Street Lending Program

The Federal Reserve Board reduced the minimum loan size for its Main Street Lending Program from $250,000 to $100,000 and adjusted fees to encourage the provision of smaller loans.
November 02, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

CFPB issues debt-collection rule with ICBA-advocated change

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a final rule to implement the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which restricts debt collector communications with consumers.
November 02, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Compliance Compliance 

Visa Global Economic Insights (Oct. 2020)

The latest Global Economic Insights report from Visa provides a COVID-19 Economic Impact Index, plus insights on travel and tourism recovery and small and medium-sized business reopenings.
November 02, 2020 | News  

From redlining to modernization: A CRA overview

The Community Reinvestment Act was designed to stop redlining, the impact of which is still felt in metro areas today. We look at the past and current CRA, including upcoming revisions from regulators.
November 01, 2020 | Independent Banker   Advocacy 

How Fidelity Bank boosts nonprofits

Beyond standing by its community for more than a century, Fidelity Bank supports nearby nonprofits through financial support, volunteering and specialized banking products.
November 01, 2020 | Independent Banker  

Rebeca Romero Rainey: Developing innovation strategy

Community banks are independent institutions fueled by the needs of their individual communities, so what constitutes innovation will look and feel different for every bank.
November 01, 2020 | Independent Banker  

Agencies propose regulation on supervisory guidance

Federal financial regulators invited comment on a proposal outlining and confirming the agencies’ use of supervisory guidance for regulated institutions. The proposal would codify their September 2018 statement clarifying the differences between regulations and guidance.
October 30, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Regulatory Relief 

Checks decline at faster pace as alternative payments grow: Fed

The Federal Reserve Board said the number of checks issued from 2015 to 2018 declined by 8.2 percent per year, a faster pace than the previously reported 7.2 percent annual decrease.
October 30, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Federal Reserve 

Grassroots on EIDL advances continues

ICBA continues urging community bankers to direct borrowers to ICBA's small-business alert addressing Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advance deductions from PPP forgiveness amounts. ICBA also offers a separate alert for community bankers.
October 30, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

Passageways Invests in Global Organizations Recovering from COVID-19 Disruption by Offering 90 Days of Free Access to OnBoard

Passageways announced that new accounts are eligible to receive 3 months (90 days) of free access to OnBoard when purchased by December 31, 2020.
October 29, 2020 | News  

Alex Galeano Joins ICBA as SEVP and Chief Financial Officer

The Independent Community Bankers of America today announced that Alex Galeano has joined the organization as senior executive vice president and chief financial officer.
October 28, 2020 | Press Release  

Senate bill responds to ICBA asset-threshold push

New legislation introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is designed to protect borrowers and lenders from regulatory penalties associated with the Paycheck Protection Program after ICBA raised the issue with policymakers.
October 28, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

Romero Rainey: Grassroots needed on EIDL-PPP

ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey called on community bankers to contact Congress and engage small-business customers on the growing conflict between PPP loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loan advances.
October 28, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

Court blocks ICBA-backed 'disparate impact

A federal court this week blocked implementation of HUD's ICBA-supported final rule amending its interpretation of the Fair Housing Act’s "disparate impact" standard.
October 28, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   FHA/HUD Housing Finance/GSEs 

ICBA-Backed Bill Stops Unintended Regulations from PPP Lending

ICBA and the nation's community banks support new legislation that would prevent regulatory penalties for community banks with $15 billion or less in total assets due to their PPP lending, said ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey.
October 26, 2020 | Press Release   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

Proposal would expand BSA recordkeeping

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network and Federal Reserve Board invited comment on a proposed rule that would amend Bank Secrecy Act recordkeeping and travel rule regulations.
October 26, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Compliance Compliance 

ICBA continues push on EIDL advances

ICBA continues calling on community bankers to direct borrowers to ICBA's small-business alert addressing Economic Injury Disaster Loan Advances from borrower PPP forgiveness amounts.
October 23, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

ICBA PPP video promotion continues on social media

ICBA is urging community bankers to retweet and share on social media its ongoing series of videos featuring Paycheck Protection Program borrowers to continue raising the industry's profile.
October 23, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

Senators join ICBA opposition to securities filings change

A group of Senate Banking Committee members joined ICBA in opposing the Securities and Exchange Commission's proposal to raise the threshold over which institutional investment managers are required to file quarterly Form 13F reports.
October 23, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   SEC 

Promontory Interfinancial Network Changes Name to IntraFi Network

IntraFi Network has built the nation’s largest deposit network, chosen by more than 3,000 financial institutions. The company was founded in 2002, invented reciprocal deposits, and is widely used by big and small banks alike.
October 21, 2020 | Press Release  

ICBA Letter Regarding the Heroes Small Business Lifeline Act

The HEROES Small Business Lifeline Act (S. 4818) is a welcome effort which reflect certain community bank priorities. ICBA will continue to offer constructive feedback on efforts to reform and strengthen the PPP.
October 21, 2020 | News   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

Finastra honored with 2020 Microsoft US Partner award

Finastra today announced it has been honored with a 2020 Microsoft US Partner Award in the category of Financial Services. The MSUS Award program complements the global Microsoft Partner of the Year Award program and highlights US-specific partner impact.
October 21, 2020 | News  

Finastra integrates Optimal Blue live pricing into Fusion MortgagebotPOS

Finastra has integrated Optimal Blue into its Fusion MortgagebotPOS solution, enabling banks to provide mortgage applicants with Optimal Blue’s live pricing searches, via any point-of-sale channel. The addition of Optimal Blue to MortgagebotPOS furthers Finastra’s relationship with the enterprise secondary marketing automation vendor, which already integrates with the Fusion MortgagebotLOS loan origination platform.
October 21, 2020 | News  

FDIC responds to ICBA push on asset thresholds

The FDIC issued an ICBA-advocated interim rule adjusting regulatory asset thresholds for community banks to mitigate costs from their sizable Paycheck Protection Program lending
October 21, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

Finastra launches Fusion Mortgagebot Data Insights to help financial institutions optimize their mortgage business

Finastra has launched Fusion Mortgagebot Data Insights – a powerful new tool that benchmarks mortgage borrower behavior and demographics for banks against that of more than 1,400 other Fusion MortgagebotPOS users. The solution leveraged Big Data and machine learning to provide users with new insights into consumer behavior to drive a better borrower experience.
October 21, 2020 | News  

Grassroots continues ahead of Senate PPP vote

With the Senate scheduled to vote today on a stimulus package that includes ICBA-advocated PPP forgiveness simplification, ICBA is calling on community bankers and their small-business contacts to weigh in on key PPP issues.
October 21, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

CFPB extends GSE 'patch'

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau extended the government-sponsored enterprise "patch," which exempts Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage loans from parts of the Qualified Mortgage rule.
October 21, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Compliance 

ICBA hosting PPP webinar today

ICBA is scheduled to host a complimentary Paycheck Protection Program webinar at 11:30 a.m. EST today. Staff experts will answer questions and discuss streamlined PPP forgiveness procedures, ICBA advocacy on PPP and EIDL advances, and more.
October 20, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

ICBA-Advocated FDIC Rule Ensures Community Banks Not Inadvertently Punished for PPP Leadership

Independent Community Bankers of America President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey issued a statement on the FDIC's adjustment to regulatory asset thresholds.
October 20, 2020 | Press Release  

FHFA again extends forbearance purchases

The Federal Housing Finance Agency said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will extend from Oct. 31 to Nov. 30 the deadline on buying qualified loans in forbearance and several loan-origination flexibilities.
October 20, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Federal Housing Finance Agency Housing Finance/GSEs 

OCC: Take PPP accounting concerns to FASB

The OCC encouraged ICBA to take community bank concerns over the PPP's complex accounting arrangement to the Financial Accounting Standards Board.
October 20, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

PPP grassroots continues ahead of Senate votes

With the Senate bringing two separate measures that include PPP forgiveness simplification to a vote starting today, ICBA continues calling on community bankers and their small-business contacts to weigh in with lawmakers.
October 20, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

ICBA commends FDIC on appeals plan

ICBA commended the FDIC for proposing to create an independent office within the agency to review material supervisory determinations.
October 20, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 

SBA PPP Guidance Includes Simplified Processes, Borrower Notification, and EIDL Advance Deductions

ICBA released a summary of recent Paycheck Protection Program guidance, including a simplified forgiveness process and guidelines on Economic Injury Disaster Loan advances.
October 20, 2020 | News   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

ICBA continues PPP video series

ICBA continues its series of videos featuring small-business owners who successfully received PPP loans from community banks. The series on the updated banklocally.org features entrepreneurs whose local community banks worked around the clock to process their loans.
October 16, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today  

SBA offers EIDL info on PPP platform

Information on Economic Injury Disaster Loan advances is now available on the Paycheck Protection Program Forgiveness Platform for submitted decisions, the SBA said in a letter to lenders with several updates on processing forgiveness payments.
October 16, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

ICBA continues PPP pressure as Senate plans vote

ICBA called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to include Paycheck Protection Program forgiveness simplification in pending stimulus legislation.
October 16, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Advocacy Crisis Preparedness Lending 

ICBA urges Congress to join debate over payments charter

ICBA and other groups this week urged Congress to get involved in the OCC's efforts to grant commercial companies like Amazon or Facebook a national payments charter.
October 16, 2020 | ICBA NewsWatch Today   Payments 

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