Prudential regulators outline principles on small-dollar lending

Federal Issues Agency Rule-Making & Guidance FDIC Federal Reserve OCC NCUA Small Dollar Lending Installment Loans Small Business Lending Covid-19

On May 20, the FDIC, Federal Reserve Board, OCC, and NCUA issued joint principles for offering responsible small-dollar loans. The agencies note the “important role” that small-dollar lending can play during times of economic stress, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and issued the guidance to encourage supervised banks, savings associations, and credit unions to offer responsible small-dollar loans to consumers and small businesses. The principles cover various loan structures, including open-end lines of credit with minimum payments, closed-end loans with short single payment terms, and longer-term installment payments. The guidance indicates that reasonable loan policies and risk management practices would generally address the following:

• Loan structures. Loan amounts and repayment terms should align with eligibility and underwriting criteria that support successful repayment of the loan, including interest and fees, rather than re-borrowing, rollovers, or immediate collectability in the event of default.
• Loan pricing. Pricing, including for loans offered through managed third-party relationships, should reflect “overall returns reasonably related to the financial institution’s product risks and costs” and comply with applicable state and federal laws.
• Loan underwriting. Underwriting should use internal and/or external data sources to assess a customer’s creditworthiness. Underwriting may use new technologies and automation to lower the cost of providing the small-dollar loans.
• Loan marketing and disclosures. Disclosures should comply with applicable consumer protection laws and regulations and provide information in “a clear, conspicuous, accurate, and customer-friendly manner.”
• Loan servicing and safeguards. Timely and reasonable workout strategies, such as payment term restructuring, should be provided for customers who experience financial distress.

As previously covered by InfoBytes, the federal financial regulators issued a joint statement in March, encouraging institutions to offer reasonable, small-dollar loans to consumers and small businesses to help mitigate the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.