Title 12Banks and BankingRelease 119-73not60

§2903 Financial Institutions; Evaluation

Title 12 › Chapter 30— COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT › § 2903

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Federal bank regulators must check how well a bank meets the credit needs of its whole community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, when they examine the bank. They must use that record when deciding on a bank’s application for a deposit facility. For banks not owned by minorities or women, regulators may count work the bank does with minority- and women-owned banks and low-income credit unions—like investments and loan deals—if those actions help local communities. Regulators must also consider low-cost student loans the bank makes to low-income borrowers. A bank holding company cannot become a financial holding company under section 1843 if any of its insured bank subsidiaries did not get at least a satisfactory rating for meeting community credit needs at their most recent exams, and the Board must tell the company within 30 days. A bank bought in the past 12 months can be left out if the holding company gives an accepted plan to fix the rating by the next exam. Definitions: "bank holding company" and "financial holding company" are in section 1841; "Board" means the Federal Reserve Board; "insured depository institution" is in section 1813(c).

Full Legal Text

Title 12, §2903

Banks and Banking — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In connection with its examination of a financial institution, the appropriate Federal financial supervisory agency shall—
(1)assess the institution’s record of meeting the credit needs of its entire community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, consistent with the safe and sound operation of such institution; and
(2)take such record into account in its evaluation of an application for a deposit facility by such institution.
(b)In assessing and taking into account, under subsection (a), the record of a nonminority-owned and nonwomen-owned financial institution, the appropriate Federal financial supervisory agency may consider as a factor capital investment, loan participation, and other ventures undertaken by the institution in cooperation with minority- and women-owned financial institutions and low-income credit unions provided that these activities help meet the credit needs of local communities in which such institutions and credit unions are chartered.
(c)(1)An election by a bank holding company to become a financial holding company under section 1843 of this title shall not be effective if—
(A)the Board finds that, as of the date the declaration of such election and the certification is filed by such holding company under section 1843(l)(1)(C) 11 See References in Text note below. of this title, not all of the subsidiary insured depository institutions of the bank holding company had achieved a rating of “satisfactory record of meeting community credit needs”, or better, at the most recent examination of each such institution; and
(B)the Board notifies the company of such finding before the end of the 30-day period beginning on such date.
(2)Any insured depository institution acquired by a bank holding company during the 12-month period preceding the date of the submission to the Board of the declaration and certification under section 1843(l)(1)(C) 1 of this title may be excluded for purposes of paragraph (1) during the 12-month period beginning on the date of such acquisition if—
(A)the bank holding company has submitted an affirmative plan to the appropriate Federal financial supervisory agency to take such action as may be necessary in order for such institution to achieve a rating of “satisfactory record of meeting community credit needs”, or better, at the next examination of the institution; and
(B)the plan has been accepted by such agency.
(3)For purposes of this subsection, the following definitions shall apply:
(A)The terms “bank holding company” and “financial holding company” have the meanings given those terms in section 1841 of this title.
(B)The term “Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
(C)The term “insured depository institution” has the meaning given the term in section 1813(c) of this title.
(d)In assessing and taking into account, under subsection (a), the record of a financial institution, the appropriate Federal financial supervisory agency shall consider, as a factor, low-cost education loans provided by the financial institution to low-income borrowers.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 1843(l)(1)(C) of this title, referred to in subsec. (c)(1)(A), (2), was redesignated section 1843(l)(1)(D) of this title by Pub. L. 111–203, title VI, § 606(a)(2), July 21, 2010, 124 Stat. 1607.

Amendments

2008—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 110–315 added subsec. (d). 1999—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106–102 added subsec. (c). 1992—Pub. L. 102–550 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, and added subsec. (b).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1999 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 106–102 effective 120 days after Nov. 12, 1999, see section 161 of Pub. L. 106–102, set out as a note under section 24 of this title.

Regulations

Pub. L. 110–315, title X, § 1031(b), Aug. 14, 2008, 122 Stat. 3488, provided that: “Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act [Aug. 14, 2008], each appropriate Federal financial supervisory agency shall issue rules in final form to implement section 804(d) of the Community Reinvestment Act of 1977 [12 U.S.C. 2903(d)], as added by this section.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

12 U.S.C. § 2903

Title 12Banks and Banking

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60