Agriculture

environmental regulatory issues facing pork producers

environmental issues facing egg producers

new oilseed crop related issues

CBAI Federal Policy Priorities - Bank Regulators Fulfilling Their Responsibilities Regarding Check Fraud Including Reimbursement for Fraudulently Altered Returned Checks Community banks continue to experience a growing problem of check fraud including reimbursements for fraudulently altered checks drawn on their customers accounts. The problem in the banking industry has been identified by our members as being enabled by the nations largest banks and credit unions, where fraudulent accounts are opened and fraudulent checks are deposited, which clear back to many community banks, harming them and their customers, in addition to undermining the publics confidence in the nations banking and financial system. CBAI urges the regulators to fulfill their responsibilities to address this problem by initiating Joint Supervisory Guidance and ramping up their examination and enforcement against the largest financial institutions to ensure they are held accountable for their apparent safety and soundness and compliance inadequacies. Agriculture and Rural America In the 119th Congress, CBAI strongly advocates for the passage of a multi-year Farm Bill that provides ample funding for commodity programs and rural broadband, maintains strong crop insurance products, approves higher USDA-guaranteed loan limits and expedited USDA Express program approvals, and prevents the expansion of the Farm Credit System into non-farm lending activities and opposes their exemption from the Section 1071 small business data reporting requirements. Community banks and their agricultural borrowers merit favorable tax treatment for interest income on ag loans secured by ag property and primary residences in ag communities. This will help sustain and strengthen ag lending by community banks and reduce interest expenses for their banks ag borrowers. New Credit Card Routing Mandates Efforts to mandate credit card routing is ill conceived policymaking that will fail to benefit consumers by forcing a costly overhaul of the credit card payments landscape. The beneficiaries of the new mandates will be the largest merchants (not small businesses) which will not pass their savings on to consumers. CBAI supports greater competition and opposes concentrations in financial services represented by the too-big-to-fail banks and oligopolies like VISA and MasterCard, but misguided legislation is not the solution to the problems they create. Responsible Regulation of Digital Assets - Cryptocurrency, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Stablecoins and Decentralized Finance (DeFi) The risks posed by digital assets (cryptocurrency), central Bank digital currency (CBDC) and stablecoin, and decentralized finance (DeFi) are enormous, as well as the consequences for monetary policy, our financial system, and the banking industry. They pose threats to the privacy and security of consumers and small businesses. There is no single regulator responsible for this rapidly growing sector which combines elements of currency, payments and investments, and there is insufficient transparency and lack of accountability in this ecosystem. Policymakers must develop and implement a consistent federal regulatory framework that does not permit digital assets and DeFi to offer financial services or products without being subject to the same regulations as community banks and deny nonbank stablecoin issuers access to the Federal Reserve master account, both of which would threaten the essential and highly successful business model of responsible community banks. The Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs) in Their Comprehensive Review by the FHFA The FHLB System is an admirable public-private partnership where the FHLBs banks provide short-term liquidity, long-term funding, mortgage-related products, and other financial services to help their owner-members weather crisis and provide affordable credit to support the local communities. FHLBanks contributes a substantial portion of its income to affordable housing and community development in their respective districts. The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has embarked on a comprehensive review of the FHLBs. CBAI recommends that the FHFA should not seek to disrupt the cooperative structure, regional nature, special functions, and the unique purposes of the FHLBanks. Reasonable Regulatory Rules and Implementation Small Business Data Collection A Final Rule was published in March of 2023. The Final Rule was flawed because it exempted too few financial institutions and set the revenue threshold so high that it now encompasses too many businesses, in addition to raising privacy and other concerns. There have been legal challenges to the Final Rule. CBAI supports the reasonable implementation of this reporting requirement and opposed efforts by Farm Credit to exempt its lenders. Customer Data Sharing A Final Rule was published in October of 2024. The Final Rule was flawed because it exempted too few financial institutions, ignores the costs of providing this service to consumers and does not adequately protect consumers and their community banks or compensate them from any losses related to data misuse, breaches and fraud. Modernizing the Community Reinvestment Act The Final Joint Rule was published in October of 2023. The Final Joint Rule was flawed because it exempted too few financial institutions and for many other reasons. There have been legal challenges to the Final Joint Rule. CBAI supports the reasonable implementation of the CRA that includes credit unions being subject to the CRA. Reporting Beneficial Ownership Information CBAI supports shifting the burden of collecting the BOI of community bank accountholders to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The current requirement is flawed because it does not relieve community banks from this burden. There have been legal challenges to the reporting requirements. CBAI supports making FinCEN the sole repository of BOI and relieving community banks from this burden. Federal Safe Harbor for Banking Cannabis-Related Businesses Without taking a position on the legalization of cannabis, CBAI supports a federal safe harbor from sanctions for financial institutions that choose to serve legally compliant cannabis-related businesses (CRBs) and ancillary businesses that have commercial relationships with CBRs, in states where cannabis is legal. Allowing these businesses access to the traditional banking system and its services, versus operating exclusively in cash, is a public safety issue. Harmful Climate Risk Regulations Community bankers high-contact and relationship-based lending model ensures that controls are in place to monitor climate risks on an ongoing basis. CBAI opposes any climate change regulations that will adversely impact community banks and their ability to support their customers and communities. Meaningful Regulatory Relief for Community Banks and Regulatory Overreach CBAI joins the ICBA in supporting a more efficient system of rules and regulations, unbiased laws governing the financial sector, a safer and more secure business environment, and more efficient agricultural policies to support the nations economic growth and development in all parts of the country. Many new and significant rules have been approved which individually and collectively present incredible challenges for community banks which are less likely to be able to comply with these many new requirements. CBAI urges carefully constructed legislation and regulation, robust congressional oversight of the regulators, and a moratorium on new rules until the impact of existing rules can be thoroughly assessed to minimize the damages to community banks. Credit Unions and Their Expanded Powers Credit unions have long since strayed from their founding purposes, weaponizing their competitive advantages, and are virtually indistinguishable from tax-paying community banks. Credit union acquisitions of community banks are increasing at an alarming pace and is an abuse of the tax code which exacerbates consolidation among financial institutions, negatively impacts all taxpayers, and reduces consumer choice. Credit union abuse of their tax exemption is an existential threat to community banks and the communities they serve and must end. Farm Credit System and its Expanded Powers The Farm Credit System (FCS) has long since strayed from its founding purpose, weaponizing its competitive advantages against community banks. The FCS is the only government sponsored entity (GSE) that competes directly with community banks. Its lenders leverage their tax and funding advantages as a GSE to steal away many of the best agriculture loans from community banks, which is contrary to their mission of serving young and beginning farmers and ranchers. This blatant and continued discrimination against community banks must end, the FCS competitive advantages must be reined in, and the playing field must be leveled for community banks. Enhanced Data, Cyber and Payment Card Security (Data Security) The need for data security is paramount in financial services. Community banks are strong guardians of the security and confidentiality of their customers information. Enhanced security standards should be enforced through a tiered system where the more restrictive rules are imposed on the largest members of the financial system and economy (bot community banks) where their lapses pose the greatest threat to the largest number of consumers. Sound Principles for Housing Government Sponsored Entity (GSE) Reform Reforms in government support for housing finance remain important to the future of the housing market and the U.S. economy. Unlike other private aggregators or investors, the GSEs have a mandate to serve all markets at all times, which is critical to maintaining liquidity particularly when markets are experiencing financial stress and private capital moves to the sidelines. Exiting receivership includes building capital to successfully operate within a broader housing finance framework, and bipartisan agreement on the proper role of the housing GSEs and the programs necessary to fulfill reasonable and consistent housing goals. The Federal Reserves Role in Payments System Improvement (FedNow Service) The FedNow Service is a significant payments system improvement. The payments system must not be monopolized by The Clearing House and its large bank owners with their RTP Network. Community banks, consumers and small businesses must rely on the Federal Reserve to provide access to a safe and secure payments system, which requires the Fed to play a preeminent role in system improvements. The FedNow Service should have robust capabilities, should be interoperable with other payments systems and should only be accessed by regulated financial institutions - not Amazon, Walmart, and the many fintechs that are seeking direct access to the payment rails. Finally Address the Risks of Too-Big-To-Fail Banks and Financial Firms, to Protect Community Banks, our Financial System, the Economy, and American Taxpayers from Future Bailouts The Great Financial Crisis, and the mini crisis caused by the failures of SVB and SBNY, were caused by the misconduct of the nations largest banks and financial firms and by banking regulators that did not ensure the safety and soundness of these financial behemoths. The megabanks and financial firms have proven, at great cost to American taxpayers, that they cannot be managed, supervised, disciplined or prosecuted. They are clearly too-big-to-change, too-big-to-fail, and must be downsized. This necessary policy objective can be accomplished by separating the traditional deposit-taking and lending activities of the largest banks from their speculative investment banking, securities underwriting, and market making activities. The time to act is now before the next financial crisis. (House and Senate) Legislation and Regulation - H.R. 6644 the Housing for the 21st Century Act (Title VI) regarding he inclusion of FDIC modernizing insurance and reciprocal deposit rules, targeted regulatory and examination relief, lowering compliance costs, encouraging the formation of new community banks, and strengthen Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs) (House) S. 2651 or the ROAD Act which is the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act regarding the inclusion of the provisions in H.R. 6644 (Housing for the 21st Century Act (Title VI) (House and Senate) H.R. 7567 or the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (aka the Farm Bill) regarding strengthening the farm safety net, USDA guaranteed loan improvements, Farm Credit System (FCS) expansion provisions, Essential Community Facility (ECF) lending expansion, FCS ownership of Rural Business Investment Corporations (RBICs), loans to businesses for aquatic-related purposes, and potential amendment - expanding FCS home mortgage lending to towns of 10,000 (House) Letters - Comment Letter to the IRS regarding interim guidance concerning interest on loans secured by rural or agricultural real property under section 139L of the Internal Revenue Code - Notice 2025-71 (IRS) Comment Letter to the Federal Reserve regarding Request for Information and Comments on the Future of the Federal Reserve Banks Check Services - Docket No. OP-1874 (Federal Reserve) Action Alerts - None Miscellaneous - Potential House field hearing on financial fraud (House)

Advocating for legislation and federal programs to stimulate the economy and U.S. business opportunities. Advocating for the revitalization of the Tung Tree and Tung Oil Industry in the United States.

Information gathering and monitoring of Farm Bill & Food Safety issues. Supporting new and young farmer access to farmland. Domestic sourcing.

ARS Facility - Congressional Inquiries Equine Research White Oak Sustainability

Immigration and agricultural workforce issues.

Immigration and agricultural workforce issues.

Humane Wildlife Fertility Control Wild Horses