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FDIC Federal Register Citations

FIRST HOPE BANK, NA

From: Quick, Cara [mailto:CQuick@firsthope.com]
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2004 9:50 AM
To: Comments
Subject: CRA Proposal RIN 3064-AC50

Robert E. Feldman, Executive Secretary
Attn: Comments/Executive Secretary Section
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
500 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20429

Re: CRA Proposal RIN 3064-AC50

Dear Mr. Feldman:

Please accept this as my comment letter in support your proposed increase to the small bank asset threshold from $250 million to $1 billion under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). We are a small community bank that now must begin complying with the large bank test next year.

We support the FDIC's proposal to raise the threshold for the for the streamlined small bank CRA examination to $1 billion without regard to the size of the bank's holding company. This would greatly relieve the regulatory burden imposed on small banks under the current regulation, which are required to meet the standards imposed on the nation's largest $1 trillion banks. Community banks would still be required to help meet the credit needs of their entire communities and would continue to be evaluated by their regulator.

We support the addition of community development criterion to the small bank examination for larger community banks, but we believe the new community development (CD) criterion should be applied only to banks greater than $500 million to $1 billion. Community banks up to $500 million now hold about the same percent of overall industry assts as community banks up to $250 million did a decade ago when the revised CRA regulations were adopted, so this adjustment in the CRA threshold is appropriate. As bankers and examiners know, it has proven extremely difficult for small banks, especially those in rural areas, to find appropriate CRA qualified investments in their communities. Many small banks have had to make regional or statewide investments that are extremely unlikely to ever benefit the banks' own communities. This result certainly was not intended by Congress when it was enacted CRA.

We strongly oppose making the CD criterion a separate test from the bank's overall CRA evaluation. Such differentiation creates the impression the CD lending is different from the provision of credit to the entire community. The current small bank test considers the institution's overall lending in its community. A separate test would create an additional CD obligation and regulatory burden, eroding the intent of the streamlined exam.

We strongly support the FDIC's proposal to change the definition of "community development" from only focusing on low-and moderate-income area residents to including rural residents. This change will go a long way toward eliminating the current distortion in the regulations that result in a small rural bank being told to invest in regional affordable housing bonds for an urban area not in the bank's community.

We do understand the spirit and intention of the Community Reinvestment Act and how vital it is to our community. Our survival and growth is dependent on our community that we serve. With these changes, we would merely have a reduction in reporting requirements, freeing up more time and funds that could be better spent in the development of the community.

Thank you for sharing our comments on this proposal.
Sincerely,
Cara Quick
Vice President for Compliance
First Hope Bank, NA

Last Updated 09/29/2004 regs@fdic.gov

Last Updated: August 4, 2024