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Welcome to Community Affairs

Welcome to our Community Affairs (CA) web page! CA consists of 3 divisions: Community Development, Community Affairs Outreach and Information Management, and District Community Affairs. The Deputy Comptroller for Community Affairs maintains oversight responsibility for the department. Contacts for each of these areas may be identified by selecting the "CA Staff" option below. We invite you to learn more about CA by selecting one of the links below. Receive OCC Community Affairs news and information automatically in your e-mail by subscribing to OCC Community Affairs News List Service.

Mission

Community Affairs supports the OCC’s mission to ensure a safe and sound banking system by helping national banks to be leaders in providing community development financing and retail services to underserved communities and consumers.

CA will accomplish its mission by implementing the following six core services:

1. Opportunities Database
2. Providing Community Development Expertise in Support of Examinations
3. Consultation with Banks
4. National Bank Community Development Investments (Part 24)
5. Information and Policy Services
6. Community Relations and Interagency Coordination

Through its Community Development and District Community Affairs divisions, CA serves as a resource for bankers, examiners, OCC management, and the Comptroller. The CA department administers the Community Development Investment authority (12 CFR 24) for national banks.

For more information about the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), you also may go directly to the Disclosure and Reporting of CRA-Related Agreements by clicking on the highlighted title.

Community Development at the OCC

The OCC's mission includes ensuring access to credit throughout communities and helping national banks recognize how new business opportunities that revitalize or stabilize low- or moderate-income geographies can be addressed in a safe and sound manner. The OCC accomplishes its mission by encouraging national bank involvement in community and economic development activities and markets. Activities include:

• Managing the Community Development Corporation, Community Development Projects, and Other Public Welfare Investments program (part 24);
• Serving as an information resource for banks and their community development partners;
• Providing policy guidance on community development issues to national banks, senior OCC management, and examiners;
• Providing information on community development topics to national bank examiners; and
• Performing research on topics related to community development.

National Bank Community Development Investments

CA administers the OCC's Community Development Investment Authority (12 CFR 24 or "part 24"). Under this authority, national banks make debt and equity investments designed to promote the public welfare. These investments support such activities as affordable housing development, community services for low- and moderate-income people, equity for start-up and small business expansion, and activities that revitalize or stabilize a government-designated area. In addition, Part 24 has many requirements that resemble those of CRA. Many Part 24 investments are eligible for positive consideration during a bank's CRA examination.

For more information on national bank community development investments, visit the OCC's Part 24 web page.

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