Community Affairs
Community Affairs supports the OCC's mission to ensure a vibrant banking system by helping national banks and federal savings associations to be leaders in providing safe and sound community development financing and making financial services accessible to underserved communities and consumers, while treating their customers fairly.
Community Affairs conducts outreach and develops publications to support this goal, in addition to
- administering the national bank public welfare investment authority (12 CFR 24) and the comparable authority for federal savings associations.
- providing community development training and technical assistance to OCC examiners and supervised banks, community organizations and leaders, and other stakeholders.
- offering customized consultations to help banks identify community development finance opportunities and resources.
- facilitating communication among lenders, community groups, and government officials through workshops and conferences.
- publishing community development information on best practices and investment opportunities.
- compiling Resource Directories on a range of community development topics.
Learn how to contact a District Community Affairs Officer.
Featured Publications
Community Developments Fact Sheet: Multifamily Rural Housing Finance Program
This Community Developments Fact Sheet explains how the Rural Housing Service (RHS) guarantees qualifying mortgages made by RHS-approved national banks and federal savings associations.
Financial Literacy Update: November/December 2020
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC)'s Financial Literacy Update is a bimonthly e-newsletter that reports financial literacy events, new initiatives, and related resources of the OCC and other government agencies and organizations.
Community Developments Fact Sheet: Rural Housing Service Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program (May 2020)
This Community Developments Fact Sheet explains how the Rural Housing Service (RHS) guarantees qualifying mortgages made by RHS-approved national banks and federal savings associations.
Community Developments Insights: Historic Tax Credits: Bringing New Life to Older Communities (October 2019)
This Community Developments Insights report describes how this tax credit program operates, outlines the risks and regulatory considerations of participation in the program, and discusses how investments in these tax credit transactions by banks may be considered under the Community Reinvestment Act.