Racial bias

A blueprint that includes more CRA and tax credits for lower-income African Americans would help a demographic disproportionately harmed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Industry figures have begun to speak out in support of demonstrations in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd and other African Americans, and new data is expected to show how the coronavirus impacted balance sheets.

Lenders have a role to play in the national reconciliation that must follow the recent racial unrest — providing greater access to capital for African Americans and other underserved groups so they can build wealth, activists said at a panel discussion hosted by Berkshire Bank in Boston.

The Credit Union National Association has been directed to work with the entire industry to find ways to address discrimination experienced by African Americans.

The demonstrations following George Floyd's death in police custody are forcing the industry to grapple with how it can — or if it should —advocate for equality and better race relations.

Financial institutions are trying to determine how to best protect branches as some demonstrations following George Floyd's death turn violent.

Rodney Hood, the first African American to lead a banking agency, said in a deeply personal statement that he was "familiar with the anger and frustration that comes with the everyday challenges and realities surrounding race."

The chiefs of some of the biggest U.S. banks called on their workers to fight racism after an unarmed black man died as a result of a white police officer kneeling on his neck, prompting nationwide protests.

Black and Latino business owners were less likely to get loans than overall borrowers, survey states; Atlanta Fed president tells lenders they won’t be second-guessed if they do right by borrowers.

Minorities are often hit harder financially during a crisis, but if regulators move forward on revamping the Community Reinvestment Act, they’ll only make matters worse.

Attempts to rewrite the method for determining unintended discrimination in housing should not bleed into fair-lending laws.

CFPB Director Kathy Kraninger promised to complete the rule mandated by Dodd-Frank one day after a California court set a process for doing so.

After dragging its feet, the agency has agreed to a court-supervised process for writing a Dodd-Frank-mandated rule aimed at stamping out discrimination.

Elizabeth Warren, Sherrod Brown and three other Democrats asked nonbank lenders to ensure they comply with fair-lending laws following a report suggesting they charge higher rates to those who have attended historically black or predominantly Hispanic colleges.

IBM called for rules aimed at eliminating bias in artificial intelligence to ease concerns that the technology relies on data that bakes in past discriminatory practices and could harm women, minorities, the disabled, older Americans and others.

The agency issued a fair housing proposal last month that would perpetuate segregation and make it harder to detect discrimination.

New legislation in Congress seeks to do away with a data-collection mandate that addressed discrimination in business lending. The repeal measure has the support of two bank industry groups based in Washington.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development has proposed an overhaul of an Obama-era rule meant to guide local jurisdictions in how they comply with the Fair Housing Act.

Financial institutions should fully disclose their board composition to begin tackling diversity problems at the top.

The bank could pay about $2 billion to close the 1MDB case in the U.S.; in letters lawmakers ask Dimon about policies to combat racism.