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Adriel Bettelheim, POLITICO

After 35 days of mass furloughs, bureaucratic inertia and a culminating wave of airport delays, nine shuttered federal agencies began laying plans to creak back to life Friday after President Donald Trump announced a short-term deal to reopen the government.

By Andy Peters, American Banker

Commercial real estate lenders could be getting a shot in the arm at just the right time. Low-income communities across the country are set to benefit from a new federal rule designed to encourage economic development. Tax benefits will accrue to investors who put money into projects located in thousands of districts designated as Opportunity Zones. That in turn could stimulate more construction lending at a time when overall CRE lending has stagnated.

By Buzz Roberts, Novogradac

The first overhaul of Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations in a generation began with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s (OCC) publication of an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) Sept. 5. The final policy could reshape how banks finance affordable housing and other community development activities.

By Buzz Roberts, Novogradac

The Treasury Department has recommended that federal banking regulators significantly update how they implement the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to reflect sweeping industry changes and serve communities better. The next move is up to the three federal banking agencies.

By Brian Collins, American Banker

WASHINGTON — Congress approved a significant increase in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program in passing a trillion-dollar budget bill last week. This is the first increase in the tax credit in “over a decade,” Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., a longtime champion of the program, said in a press release.

By Buzz Roberts, Novogradac

A widely leaked draft Senate bill would overhaul the secondary mortgage market and scale back commitments to affordable mortgages. Offices of the senators working on the draft, Bob Corker, R-Tenn., and Mark Warner, D-Va., say the draft is not final and neither senator has formally committed to it.