A revised version of the “Fair Lending” booklet of the Comptroller’s Handbook, which guides the agency’s examiners in their examination and supervision of banking organizations, was issued Thursday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the agency said.
The OCC said the revised booklet (version 1.0) specifically provides information and examination procedures to assist OCC examiners in assessing fair lending risk and evaluating compliance with the Fair Housing Act (FHA), Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA), and Regulation B, the consumer protection regulation that implements the ECOA. As explained in the booklet, the key principles discussed apply to residential real estate loans, other types of loans, and credit offered to consumers and businesses, “unless otherwise noted.”
The revised booklet replaces the booklet of the same title issued in January 2010. Also rescinded is OCC Bulletin 2010-4, “Compliance Policy: Fair Lending – Revised Booklet,” which transmitted the prior version of this booklet.
The OCC said the revised booklet, among other things:
- reflects changes to laws and regulations since the booklet was last published;
- reflects the current OCC approach to fair lending examinations;
- includes new and clarified details on examination scenarios;
- includes clarified and expanded risk factors for a variety of examination types.
The OCC examines and supervises national banks, federal savings associations, and federal branches and federal agencies of foreign banking organizations.