OCC Announces Additional Actions to Support Community Banks and Reduce Regulatory Burden — 2025-11-24

WASHINGTON—The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today announced supervisory and regulatory actions to reduce burden for community banks and strengthen their service as drivers of economic growth. The OCC’s actions build on previous guidance to community banks and proposed rulemakings to tailor risk-based supervision to focus on material financial risk and prioritize reforms at community banks. “Community banks provide the majority of small business lending and are essential to a diverse, competitive and resilient financial system,” said Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould. “Today’s actions further relieve community banks of unnecessary regulatory requirements and seek to better position them to help fuel job creation and economic development in local communities across the country.” In separate bulletins to banks related to Bank Secrecy Act/Anti-Money Laundering (BSA/AML), the OCC clarified examination procedures applicable to community banks and reduced community bank data collection requirements.