OCC Announces Actions to Reduce Regulatory Burden for Community Banks — 2025-10-06

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today announced guidance to banks and proposed rulemakings to reduce regulatory burden for community banks. These actions build upon the OCC’s continued efforts to tailor its regulatory and supervisory frameworks to minimize burden for its regulated institutions and promote economic growth. “Community banks have an outsized impact on lending and are vital to the strength of the U.S. economy. Today’s actions relieve these banks of regulatory burden and unproductive reporting requirements, so they are better positioned to support their communities and drive economic growth,” said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould. “The OCC will continue to tailor our risk-based supervision to focus on material financial risk.” In two bulletins, the OCC clarified examination procedures for community banks. The OCC announced it is removing fixed examination requirements for community banks and instead tailoring the examination scope and frequency to be consistent with risk-based supervision.