Bracing for a prolonged economic slowdown, many community bankers say they are considering a number of belt-tightening measures, including freezing salaries and delaying investments in technology and product development, according to a survey by Promontory Interfinancial Group.

Operation HOPE Chief Executive John Hope Bryant talks about how the Community Reinvestment Act influenced him at the age of 9 and eventually led to the founding of his nonprofit, which works with banks to help communities in need. But he says the 1977 law is outdated.

The agreement comes a day after Axos Financial warned that H&R Block was ending their six-year-old partnership.

The Iowa company said Brent Giles, who was CEO of a bank that was recently sold, will run its Wisconsin Bank & Trust.

Often overlooked in narratives about essential workers, branch and call-center employees are responding to challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis. They’ve processed emergency-relief loans late into the night, coached customers unfamiliar with mobile banking and made house calls to elderly account holders.

Critics of the Community Reinvestment Act revamp want to freeze the rulemaking process. That would only delay financial help to New York and other hard-hit cities.

Suncoast Credit Union and Apollo Bank said the pandemic complicated their efforts to secure regulatory approval.

Banks could end up holding many low-rate Paycheck Protection Program loans on their books for two years, and dealing with irate borrowers who failed to meet federal requirements for forgiveness.

The Independent Community Bankers of America accused the National Credit Union Administration of using the coronavirus outbreak to usher in additional changes without the normal amount of scrutiny.

Up to 12% of loans under the $660 billion small-business rescue program could be tied to misleading or completely phony applications, fueling concerns about lenders' potential liability.

Coronavirus has taken bankers out of their comfort zone. But they should view adaptations they’ve made in confronting the pandemic as a chance to hone their emergency response skills, not a permanent new normal.

Seneca-Cayuga Bancorp's capital levels have fallen steadily since peaking in 2013.

Bankers are bracing for accusations of discrimination in the way Paycheck Protection Program loans were allocated.

It's time for agencies like the Small Business Administration to stop playing catch-up and invest in state-of-the art technology.

Federal regulators are now conducting nearly all supervision off-site as a result of the pandemic. The temporary measures are stoking a debate about whether they should be permanent.

Organizers of Rockpoint Bank still need to raise $30 million before opening.

Regulators need to revamp their proposal to overhaul the Community Reinvestment Act now that the coronavirus outbreak has created unforeseen financial needs.

Funneling fees from emergency loans to feed the hungry. Supporting psychological counseling for health care heroes and financial advice for the poor. Backing retrofits of customer operations to produce protective gear for front-line medical personnel. Bankers and financial educators have tossed out the traditional playbook to help clients and communities in crisis.

Tinker Federal Credit Union's deal for Prime Bank in Edmond, Okla., is set to close later this year.

It's time for agencies like the Small Business Administration to stop playing catch-up and invest in state-of-the art technology.