Community Affairs

Welcome to Community Affairs - the OCC's community development resource for national banks, government agencies, and community organizations. See more...

What's New in Community Affairs

• Interagency CRA Training Sessions for Small and Intermediate Small Banks:
  
  
  Lubbock, TX: October 7, 2008 (click here to register)
  
  Columbia, South Carolina: October 8, 2008 (click here to register)
  
  Little Rock, Arkansas: October 29, 2008 (click here to register)
  
  
• OCC Bulletin Part 24 Investment Authority (OCC 2008-22)
  
  
• The OCC Update for February - May 2008 from Community Affairs
  
  
• OCC's Web Page Spotlighting Outreach Activities During Financial Literacy Month
  
  
• Community Developments Newsletter - Preservation of Affordable Multifamily Housing (NR-2008-51)
  
  
• Financial Literacy and Education Commission (including nationwide conference materials)
  
  
• Comptroller Dugan participates in a bus tour of affordable housing and economic development projects with major bankers and community groups in Harlem and the South Bronx. (See photos and read more about this event)
  
  

Recently Released Publications

	Preservation of Affordable Multifamily Housing (NR 2008-51) Preservation of Affordable Multifamily Housing (Spring 2008) features an overview of the challenges facing the nation's affordable multifamily rental housing inventory and describes how a variety of public, private, and nonprofit initiatives have addressed these challenges. This issue also highlights the specific activities and investments of selected national banks, nonprofit organizations, and state and local government agencies in supporting the preservation of affordable multifamily rental housing.
	Low-Income Housing Tax Credits: Affordable Housing Investment Opportunities for Banks (NR 2008-10) This edition of Community Developments Insights describes how LIHTCs are used to develop affordable rental housing and how banks can benefit from investing in LIHTC-financed projects. It describes the two approaches for investing in LIHTCs - direct investments in individual affordable housing projects and fund investments that have multiple projects managed by third parties. The report outlines risks and regulatory considerations of LIHTC investments and describes how these investments would be considered under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
	Understanding Employer Assisted Mortgage Programs: A Primer for National Banks (NR 2007-88) This edition of Community Development Insights examines the primary risks and regulatory considerations associated with employer assisted mortgages. The report illustrates how lenders can implement their own successful employer assisted programs or work with other employers to create such initiatives. The paper also discusses how banks participating in these programs may meet their Community Reinvestment Act obligations by providing mortgages to low- or moderate-income homebuyers or purchasers of properties in low- or moderate- income neighborhoods.
	Foreclosure Prevention: Improving Contact with Borrowers (NR 2007-61) This edition of Insights highlights best practices loan servicers are using to improve their contact rate with delinquent mortgage borrowers. These best practices include, but are not limited to, the use of sophisticated scoring models, customer friendly approaches, partnerships with nonprofit credit counselors, and web-based information on workout options.
	Community Development Venture Capital: A Catalyst for Double Bottom-Line Results (NR 2007-35) This issue of Community Developments Investments features a state of the industry review by Kerwin Tesdell, president of the Community Development Venture Capital Alliance and an article by Lee Winslett of Wells Fargo describing some of the successful investments his bank has made in CDVC funds. This edition also highlights the story of Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation, which has been funding CDVC in rural Appalachia for the past 30-years, and 10 tips on CDVC investment due diligence by Fred Mendez of Silicon Valley Bank.
	New Markets Tax Credits: Unlocking Investment Potential (NR 2007-15) This edition of Insights examines the primary risks and regulatory considerations associated with New Market Tax Credits (NMTCs) and discusses the ways in which bank investors have structured and managed these credits effectively. Banks have been active participants in the NMTC program because of the ability to generate competitive economic returns, and the opportunities they present for positive CRA consideration.
	Community Developments Newsletter Focuses on Minority-Owned Financial Institutions (NR-2006-140) The Winter 2006 - 2007 edition of the OCC's Community Developments newsletter focuses on minority-owned institutions, the strategies they employ to serve their markets, and how majority-owned institutions can partner with minority-owned banks and receive consideration under the Community Reinvestment Act.
	OCC Highlights Strategies for Reaching Ethnic Markets (PDF 293KB ) (NR 2006-123) This edition of Insights examines selected strategies being used by community banks to target specific minority markets in the United States, the impact of these strategies on bringing unbanked consumers into the banking system, and some risks and regulatory considerations associated with each strategy.
	2005 CRA Revisions: How Banks and Examiners Are Implementing the New Rules (NR 2006-91) The Summer 2006 edition of Community Developments Investments discusses changes to CRA regulations promulgated in 2005, including the creation of a new Intermediate Small Bank test and an expanded definition of community development.
	Community Developments Newsletter Focuses on Foreclosure Prevention (NR-2006-53) The Spring 2006 edition of the Community Developments Newsletter focuses on a number of ways banks can help to reduce foreclosures through partnering with non-profits and successfully implementing early intervention strategies with troubled borrowers.