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House Republicans Introduce Bill to Reform CFPB | | Rep. Tim Moore and other Republicans on the House Financial Services Committee have proposed legislation – H.R. 10184, the Consumer Financial Protection Accountability and Reform Act – to change how the CFPB is funded and redefine its ability to regulate unfair, deceptive, or abusive acts or practices. The bill would subject the bureau to congressional appropriations. | | | | |
President Donald Trump has signed into law H.R. 6500, an appropriations bill to fund the federal government through early December and temporarily extend several programs, including the National Flood Insurance Program. | | The Federal Reserve has issued its latest Beige Book report for the year. Financial conditions improved slightly as loan volumes remained solid or increased across most districts. Residential construction declined while nonresidential construction increased, with some districts noting a high concentration of activity related to data center projects. | | | | |
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Tell Me Something Goodđź’¬ | | | | |
Benchmark Earns National Recognition from American Banker | Benchmark Community Bank has once again earned a place among the nation’s top-performing community banks, ranking No. 27 on American Banker’s 2026 list of publicly traded banks with less than $2 billion in assets. The recognition marks Benchmark’s 20th consecutive appearance on the list and makes it the highest-ranked Virginia-headquartered bank in its category. | | | Benchmark, which operates 18 branches across Southside Virginia and northern North Carolina, has been named to the annual ranking every year since 2007. The list evaluates banks based on their three-year average return on average equity, with American Banker highlighting efficient growth, strong deposit performance and disciplined overhead among this year’s top performers. | | | | |
North State Bank Named TBJ's "Best Place to Work" | North State Bank has taken the top spot in the “2026 Best Places to Work” Awards by the Triangle Business Journal among large employers, announced Amanda Lloyd, executive vice president and chief people officer. This year's award marks the Bank's third time receiving the “Best Places to Work” recognition from the Triangle Business Journal and the second time earning the number one rank. | | | The honor is based on direct employee feedback through a confidential survey administered by Quantum Workplace. The results measure key aspects of workplace culture, including employee engagement, communication, trust, and overall job satisfaction. | | "This recognition reflects the culture we have built together," shared Chief People Officer Amanda Lloyd. "Teamwork has been one of our core values since day one, along with hard work, integrity, consistency, and fairness, and we believe those values are what make North State a great place to work and to bank. I am delighted to be part of this remarkable organization and thankful to work alongside this incredible team.” | | | | |
NCBA Foundation Scholarship Recipients Begin College Journeys | | As summer comes to an end, our 2026 NCBA Foundation Scholarship recipients are beginning the first semesters of their college journeys. | | Mary Elizabeth Martin, daughter of Matthew Martin with First Citizens, is beginning her studies at Wofford College, while Amelia Bullard, daughter of Scott Bullard with Piedmont Federal Savings, is starting her first semester at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she plans to study exercise science on a pre-dental track. | We are proud to support Mary Elizabeth and Amelia as they take this next step, and we wish them both a successful first year. | Since 1984, the NCBA Foundation Scholarship Program has helped support the pursuit of higher education by awarding annual stipends to children of employees at participating financial institutions. | | | If you would like to help support future students through the NCBA Foundation Scholarship Program, please consider making a contribution to the NCBA Foundation. To ensure your donation is applied to the scholarship program, include the word "scholarship" in the memo field. | | | | |
NCEL Mentorship Program Returns in the New Year | The NCBA is pleased to announce that the NC Emerging Leaders Mentorship Program returns, continuing our commitment to connecting the next generation of banking leaders with experienced professionals from across the industry. | | | The program provides emerging leaders with an opportunity to build meaningful relationships, gain perspective from experienced bankers and strengthen the connections that support leadership throughout North Carolina’s banking community. | | | | |
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Federal Legislative & 
Regulatory Update⚖️ | | | | |
FinCEN and the federal banking agencies have issued a joint statement clarifying that financial institutions are prohibited from disclosing the existence of a SAR, but this prohibition is not necessarily a bar to disclosing the underlying facts and documents in communications to customers, even if a reasonable and prudent person might suspect or be able to deduce that a SAR was or may have been filed. | | | The joint statement provides several examples of permitted communications that would typically not reveal a SAR exists, including notifying customers that a delay or restriction may be related to fraud “or other suspicious activity.” | | | | |
Congress Status:
Not In Session
| The U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are currently in recess, with both chambers holding pro forma sessions. Both chambers are expected to resume regular legislative business on Monday, September 14. | | | | | |
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FCC Proposes Rules Designed to Combat Illegal Calls | The NCBA has joined with state bankers associations nationwide to express support for FCC proposals designed to ensure that all voice service providers in the path of a call take meaningful responsibility for keeping illegal calls off the U.S. calling network. | | | In related news, the FCC is seeking public comment on creating a “robocall scorecard” to measure how voice service providers are protecting consumers from illegal calls. | | | | |
IRS on Auto Loan Deduction | The IRS has issued final regulations governing a deduction for qualified passenger vehicle loan interest that is available to certain taxpayers. Under the regulations, eligible taxpayers may deduct up to $10,000 in interest paid on a qualified passenger vehicle loan, subject to the applicable requirements. | | | The final regulations also address information reporting requirements for certain persons who, in a trade or business, receive from any individual interest aggregating $600 or more for any calendar year on a specified passenger vehicle loan, including applicable penalties for failures to file information returns or furnish payee statements as required. | | | | |
Suspected Crypto Investment Scams | FinCEN has released a new report about digital asset investment scam patterns between 2023 and 2025. BSA reports flagged approximately $12.7 billion in suspected digital asset investment scam activity during that timeframe. | | | | | |
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Need Credits? Earn CRCM, CPE, SHRM and More! | | Looking to skill up? North Carolina Bankers Association is making it easier than ever to invest in your professional growth. Sign up for one of the upcoming webinars from our partnered providers: | | | | |
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Oakworth Capital Bank Welcomes Harrison Lord and Andrew Giraldo to its Charlotte Market Board | Oakworth Capital Bank (OTCQX: OAKC) is pleased to announce that Harrison Lord, attorney and managing member of Lord & Lindley, and Andrew Giraldo, president and chief financial officer of NARENCO, have joined its Charlotte Market Board. | Lord is a trial attorney with extensive experience in fiduciary and commercial litigation, representing clients in complex disputes involving closely held businesses, trusts and estates and shareholder matters. He has tried cases before judges and juries across North Carolina and is recognized for his work in commercial litigation by Chambers USA, Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and Legal 500. | Giraldo brings extensive experience in corporate finance, business growth and renewable energy development, including his work at NARENCO, a renewable energy company that develops and operates large-scale solar energy projects across the eastern United States. | | | | |
First Citizens Completes Acquisition of 138 BMO Branches | First Citizens Bank has completed the conversion of 138 branches acquired from BMO Bank, expanding the Raleigh-based bank’s presence across the Midwest, Great Plains and West. | The transaction brought approximately $5 billion in deposits and $650 million in loans to First Citizens. With the newly acquired locations, the bank now serves clients through more than 600 branches and offices nationwide, including new markets in North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Idaho, western Minnesota, eastern Oregon and southern Illinois. | First Citizens also announced regional leadership appointments and a $1 million charitable giving commitment to support communities in its expanded footprint. | | Truist Fully Deploys AI Call Summaries Technology | Truist has fully deployed its AI Call Summaries technology across its care centers, using generative artificial intelligence to automatically turn client conversations into concise, structured summaries. | The Charlotte-based bank said the technology has generated more than 4.5 million summaries and supported more than 70% of inbound care center interactions during the second quarter of 2026. Truist estimates that automating post-call documentation saved teammates more than 36,000 hours during the quarter. | The technology also gives care center employees quick access to information from previous interactions ahead of follow-up conversations. Truist plans to expand the capability into additional areas of the bank as part of its broader effort to incorporate AI into everyday workflows. | | | | |
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  "Knowledge speaks, 
but wisdom listens.”

- Jimi Hendrix |  
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