OCC Pauses Fair Lending Exams Even as It Probes ‘Debanking’

A top federal banking regulator has halted all fair lending examinations until early next year as the Trump administration reviews its approach to anti-discrimination efforts.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency will “defer” all fair lending exams through Jan. 31, and all pending fair lending reviews of national banks must stop as soon as possible, according to an internal Oct. 8 email from Chief National Bank Examiner Jay Gallagher obtained by Bloomberg Law.

OCC examiners were also told to consult with their managers about how to handle existing issues flagged to banks—known as “matters requiring attention"—related to fair ...