American Bankers Association

OCC Preempts Georgia Fair Lending Law, Blocking State Consumer Protections

| Importance: 7/10

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, led by Comptroller John Hawke Jr, issues a preemption determination blocking enforcement of the Georgia Fair Lending Act against national banks, marking a turning point in federal regulators’ campaign to shield predatory lenders from state …

Office of the Comptroller of the Currency John Hawke Jr Georgia State Legislature National City Bank American Bankers Association regulatory-capture predatory-lending preemption housing-policy housing
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Riegle-Neal Act Enables Nationwide Bank Consolidation, Mortgage Market Transformation

| Importance: 7/10

President Clinton signs the Riegle-Neal Interstate Banking and Branching Efficiency Act, removing Depression-era restrictions that prevented banks from operating across state lines. The law enables massive consolidation in the banking industry, with the number of commercial banks declining from over …

President Bill Clinton Senator Donald Riegle Representative Stephen Neal American Bankers Association NationsBank +1 more banking-deregulation housing-policy consolidation regulatory-capture housing
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Community Reinvestment Act Passed to Combat Redlining, Banking Industry Resists

| Importance: 7/10

President Carter signs the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), requiring banks to meet the credit needs of their entire communities, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods previously redlined by lenders. The law responds to decades of documented discriminatory lending that drained deposits …

President Jimmy Carter Senator William Proxmire American Bankers Association Federal Reserve FDIC +1 more regulatory-response housing-policy banking-regulation civil-rights housing
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Equal Credit Opportunity Act and RESPA Pass After Industry Lobbying Weakens Enforcement

| Importance: 7/10

Congress passes two major housing consumer protection laws in 1974: the Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) prohibiting discrimination in lending based on sex and marital status (race added in 1976), and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requiring disclosure of closing costs. …

U.S. Congress President Gerald Ford American Bankers Association Mortgage Bankers Association Federal Reserve fair-lending consumer-protection housing-policy industry-lobbying housing
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