News Headlines


08/14/26

Division Opens Door for Credit Union Acquisition of Ohio Bank

The Ohio Bankers League is disappointed by the Ohio Division of Financial Institutions’ August 12 decision not to object to The Hicksville Bank’s proposed sale of substantially all of its assets and liabilities to Interra Credit Union.

08/12/26

Ohio Bankers Launch Two New Community Education Programs

Ohio Banks are expanding their ommunity impact this year with the launch of two new educational initiatives: Financial Success Seminars and Fraud Awareness Seminars. Hosted by banks in their local communities in partnership with OBL through the Foundation, the programs are designed to bring practical, accessible education directly to Ohioans where they live and work.

08/12/26

Ohio Bankers Foundation Launches Two New Community Education Programs

The Ohio Bankers Foundation is expanding its community impact this year with the launch of two new educational initiatives: Financial Success Seminars and Fraud Awareness Seminars. Hosted by banks in their local communities in partnership with OBL through the Foundation, the programs are designed to bring practical, accessible education directly to Ohioans where they live and work.

Through these seminars, participating banks will have a turnkey way to strengthen customer relationships, demonstrate leadership in financial wellness and help community members make informed decisions. OBL and the Foundation support banks by developing curriculum, coordinating instructors, assisting with event planning and providing marketing resources, allowing banks to focus on bringing people together and promoting the programs locally.

08/05/26

FDIC and OCC Propose to Refocus CRA Examinations on Lending

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency have jointly proposed substantial changes to their Community Reinvestment Act regulations. The proposal would retain much of the examination framework that banks have operated under since 1995 while placing greater emphasis on lending, substantially increasing the asset thresholds used to determine how a bank is examined and creating clearer standards for community development activities.

08/05/26

Federal Reserve and FDIC Propose Major Updates to Insider-Lending Rules

The Federal Reserve and Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation have issued coordinated proposals to modernize the rules governing loans to bank directors, executive officers, principal shareholders and their related interests.

08/05/26

Federal Reserve Proposes Long-Awaited Modernization of Mutual Bank Capital

The Federal Reserve has proposed the first comprehensive modernization of the federal regulatory framework for mutual banking organizations in more than three decades. The proposal would update Regulation MM, reduce several procedural burdens and—most importantly—provide greater certainty regarding the ability of mutual institutions to raise regulatory capital without abandoning their depositor-owned structure.


07/29/26

Federal Reserve Holds Rates Steady as Dissent Grows

The Federal Reserve voted Wednesday to leave its benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at 3.50% to 3.75%, marking the fifth consecutive meeting without a change. While the decision was widely expected, the vote highlighted growing divisions within the Federal Open Market Committee.

Three regional Federal Reserve Bank presidents, including Cleveland Federal Reserve President Beth Hammack, dissented from the decision, favoring a 25-basis-point rate increase.

07/22/26

US House Passes Main Street Capital Access Act with Strong Bipartisan Support

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Main Street Capital Access Act, a sweeping banking package designed to promote new bank formation, modernize bank supervision and provide meaningful regulatory relief for well-managed financial institutions.

07/22/26

Another OBL Legal Victory: Ohio Supreme Court Protects Financial Institutions from Expansive Securities Liability

The Ohio Bankers League has secured another important legal victory for Ohio’s financial-services industry.

In Bitounis v. Interactive Brokers, L.L.C., Slip Opinion No. 2026-Ohio-2268, the Supreme Court of Ohio reversed the Eighth District Court of Appeals and reinstated the trial court’s dismissal of claims against Interactive Brokers. The Court held that a brokerage firm performing routine business activities for a customer after that customer unlawfully sold securities did not “participate or aid” in those sales and therefore could not be held jointly and severally liable under R.C. 1707.43(A). 

07/15/26

Tell Congress to Pass the Main Street Capital Access Act

Ohio bankers have an important opportunity to advance one of the most comprehensive community bank regulatory relief packages considered by Congress in years. The Ohio Bankers League is asking every member banker to send a grassroots email urging Congress to support and pass the Main Street Capital Access Act, H.R. 6955.

The legislation contains more than two dozen provisions designed to strengthen locally based banks, better align regulation with actual risk and allow bankers to devote more resources to serving customers and communities. While federal regulators have made positive changes during the current administration to improve the way community banks are examined, the Main Street Capital Access Act would codify those reforms in law so they remain durable through future changes in political leadership.