By: Barry Wides, CPA For the past several months, housing/banking reform legislation has been working its way through Congress and is now near bipartisan enactment. On May 20th, the House passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act text that reflects an agreement with the Administration. Senate action, hopefully, will soon follow. This legislation cuts
The Finish Line is in Sight for Housing/Banking Legislation Read More »
The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM1) that fundamentally reforms the requirements for financial institutions’ anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) programs. Below is Artisan Advisors’ executive summary of the salient points of the proposal. Artisan’s Risk Management expert, Dan Bagus, read the 202- page Notice
Executive Summary: FinCEN Notice of Proposed Rulemaking Read More »
On February 9, the House of Representatives passed the “Housing for the 21st Century Act” by a vote of 390-9. The bill contains a number of provisions of interest to community banks, some of which are summarized below. The bill also contains several provisions affecting the resolution of failing banks and creation of new banks. Other provisions seek to incentivize greater levels of housing production and increase financing
House Passes Housing for the 21st Century Act Containing Community Bank Provisions Read More »
On December 17, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) issued proposed guidance intended to simplify how banks with assets of up to $30 billion may obtain approval for a CRA strategic plan. The proposal would supplement the existing guidance contained in OCC Bulletin 2019-39, “Community Reinvestment Act: Guidelines for Requesting Approval of a Strategic Plan.” Despite being available since 1995, relatively few banks use CRA
According to Artisan’s risk specialist, Dan Bagus: “An enterprise risk management program should serve as the rudder of the strategic planning process for every institution – large or small—and operate in service to the specific goals and objectives of the strategic plan.” Get the full white paper, “Building a Risk-Focused Culture: A Framework for Modern
Building a Risk-Focused Culture: A Framework for Modern Financial Services Read More »
By Barry Wides, CPA Managing Director, Artisan Advisors The recently enacted 2025 Tax and Spending Bill introduced significant changes to housing and community development programs that affect banks. This article, the second in our series, examines the bill’s revisions to the Opportunity Zone (OZ) tax incentive—now called “OZ 2.0.” Background: Opportunity Zone 1.0 The original
Understanding Opportunity Zone 2.0: Key Changes and Bank Strategies Read More »
On June 30, 2025, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released its Semi-Annual Risk Perspective (SARP), a 20-page summary of key issues impacting the federal banking system. This report outlines several supervisory issues that may be useful for banks in anticipating areas of focus during upcoming exams. Commercial Credit Risk In commercial
The newest episode of Artisan Unfiltered is available! Listen now to “Barry Wides on OCC’s New Banking Risk Report: What Bankers Need to Know” to get an insider’s POV on where the banking industry is heading this year. Artisan’s newest Managing Director in our Risk Management practice, Barry joined us after 20 years as Deputy Controller
New Provisions in the 2025 Tax and Spending Bill, Plus Pending Legislation, Poise Banks to Deepen CRA-Eligible Investments By Barry Wides, CPA Managing Director, Artisan-Advisors Several provisions in the recently enacted 2025 Tax and Spending Bill (Public Law 119-21) will significantly broaden community development investment options for banks under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). This
Congress Expands Community Development Investment Opportunities for Banks Read More »
Currently, there are a few proposed banking regulation “fixes” being bandied about in Washington as a result of the SVB and Signature failures. As often happens with legislators, the temptation to do something without sufficient analysis of the problem is often too great to resist. Legislators would be well advised to take a measured approach
A Smoother Path to Better Banking Regulation Read More »