CDFIs

A bipartisan housing provision has emerged as a critical negotiating point for passage of an uncommonly bank-relevant defense authorization bill.

Michael Barr said he believes artificial intelligence will have a positive long-term impact on the economy, though it may cause job losses in the short term.

In an environment of persistent economic unease, banks have a unique opportunity to help small businesses, Sekou Kaalund, U.S. Bank's head of branch and small business banking, said at American Banker's 2025 Small Business Banking conference.

A cohort of more than 100 Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging the administration to protect and fund a community lending program that has been gutted despite its legal mandate and Bessent's backing.

Six trade groups warned the administration layoffs and funding freezes could dampen lending, threatening the administration's goal of economic growth.

Treasury laid off all of its Community Development Financial Institution Fund staff on Friday, with the reduction in force notices saying that the department plans on abolishing the fund.

Community Development Financial Institutions grew rapidly in recent years. Now, though, they face a slowdown. All CDFIs will have to get leaner and more efficient. For many, mergers might be the best solution.

The Office of Management and Budget issued reduction in force notices to Treasury staff working in the Community Development Financial Institution office Friday, saying that the layoffs are necessary to "implement the abolishment" of the fund.

The Office of Management and Budget has prevented billions of dollars from flowing to community development financial institutions, preventing those funds from supporting housing development.

The CDFI Fund is updating definitions of eligible activity to be considered for the funds, including removing climate-focused financing and references to race and ethnicity.

Community development financial institutions have a long history of providing vital economic lifelines to communities across the country. Credit unions have always been an important part of that story.

The leader of a major credit union trade group takes issue with a recent BankThink article questioning credit unions' ability to operate as federally recognized Community Development Financial Institutions.

Four years after its launch, the Mission Driven Bank Fund has ended its fundraising well short of its original $500 million target. Still, organizers are hopeful that the fund's performance will attract other investors to the sector.

Congress should hold hearings to investigate whether credit unions really qualify to operate as tax-advantaged Community Development Financial Institutions.

The Office of Management and Budget under President Donald Trump has not apportioned any discretionary awards to financial institutions in the fiscal year of 2025, according to new documents released by the agency.

Amid waning federal support for community development financial institutions and minority depository institutions, a program launched by two banking trade groups is beginning to generate a steady stream of deposits for mission-focused lenders.

The CDFI Fund has yet to announce and disburse awards for five programs, even though applications closed months ago, the lawmakers said in a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought.

BankUnited hires Wells Fargo's James Mackey to be its new chief financial officer; Ponce Bank President and CEO Carlos Naudon is named chairperson of the Community Development Bankers Association; Jefferson Bank announces the retirement of longtime President and CEO Danny Butler; and more in this week's banking news roundup.

Administration of the Community Development Financial Institution Fund at the Treasury Department will be led by the CDFI Fund's legal counsel following the resignation of the fund's director.

Calls for applications for a bank-specific program within the Community Development Financial Institution Fund have been delayed, raising the possibility that those funds are unspent before the appropriated money expires.