Washington, D.C. (Feb. 9, 2026) — The Independent Community Bankers of America (ICBA) applauded the House of Representatives for today’s bipartisan passage of the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644), which includes ICBA-advocated community bank regulatory reforms and promotes housing affordability.
“ICBA and the nation’s community banks strongly support the Housing for the 21st Century Act for its numerous pro-community bank regulatory reforms that will help spur home construction nationwide and help alleviate the housing crisis,” ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said. “We thank House leadership and the House Financial Services Committee for prioritizing this bipartisan legislation and encourage the Senate to quickly pass it.”
The Housing for the 21st Century Act includes ICBA-supported provisions to:
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Help community banks maintain lower funding costs by allowing them to hold custodial deposits and more reciprocal deposits without them being considered brokered deposits, which are subject to restrictions.
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Provide an 18-month exam cycle and other exam relief for banks with up to $6 billion in assets, allowing more community banks to direct more resources toward serving their communities
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Promote the formation of de novo community banks by streamlining the application process.
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Create a two-year pilot program to promote the creation of de novo banks, especially in rural areas, by providing more regulatory, capital, and lending flexibility for these banks.
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Establish a Treasury Financial Agent program enabling partnerships between minority depository institutions, rural community banks, and other financial institutions.
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Require the federal banking agencies to study improving the growth, capital adequacy, and profitability of rural depository institutions.
Today’s legislative package contains many items advanced in ICBA’s open letter to the 119th Congress and in Romero Rainey’s testimony last year at the House Financial Services Committee’s first hearing of the 119th Congress. ICBA looks forward to continuing to work with Congress and the administration to pass these important measures.
About ICBA
The Independent Community Bankers of America® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.
As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at icba.org.
