Consumer Compliance & Community Reinvestment Act
Consumer Compliance
Consumer Compliance focuses on bank compliance with consumer protection laws and reviews each bank's efforts to meet the credit and community development needs of its entire community, in accordance with the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
The Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 requires that the federal regulators of banks and thrifts encourage those institutions to help meet the credit needs of the local communities in which they are chartered. The CRA directs the regulatory agencies to assess each institution's record in meeting the credit needs of its entire community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with safe and sound operations. Find Federal Reserve State Member Bank CRA performance evaluations and ratings on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors' website.
General Guidance
Consumer Compliance Handbook
The Consumer Compliance Handbook contains examination objectives, procedures, and other instructions for planning and conducting consumer compliance and Community Reinvestment Act examinations and for preparing and distributing examination findings. The handbook is intended as guidance for Federal Reserve examiners and other supervisory personnel and should not be considered a legal reference to the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board or to federal banking laws.
Consumer Affairs (CA) Letters
Consumer Affairs letters address significant policy and procedural matters related to the Federal Reserve System's consumer compliance supervisory responsibilities. The letters are sent to banking supervision staff at the Board and the Reserve Banks and, in some instances, to supervised banking organizations.