The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) today published a final rule amending Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations, six weeks after the comment period closed on the proposed rule, which received more than 7,500 comments.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a notice that clarifies that taxpayers are not allowed a deduction for an expense if payment of the expense results in forgiveness of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, and the income associated with the forgiveness is excluded from gross income.

The Internal Revenue Service will publish a revenue procedure May 18 to temporarily allow taxpayers to electronically submit requests for private letter rulings and other guidance. Revenue Procedure 2020-29 modifies an earlier revenue procedure and will allow both paper and electronic requests for advice until Revenue Procedure 2020-29 is modified or superseded.

Three tax incentive working groups led by Novogradac submitted comment letters to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, asking the agencies to make significant changes to their joint notice of proposed rulemaking for Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) regulations.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency last week made public 28 Community Reinvestment Act performance evaluations from March. Twenty-two evaluations were satisfactory and six were outstanding. The evaluations were for national banks, federal savings associations and insured federal branches of foreign banks.

The House of Representatives today passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act (Senate Amendment to H.R. 748), by a voice vote, sending the bill to President Donald Trump, who has said he would immediately sign the legislation. The $2 trillion bill includes financial aid to individuals, businesses, nonprofits and state and local governments.

Novogradac’s Michael J. Novogradac, CPA, and Peter Lawrence detail in a blog post provisions of the nearly $2 trillion COVID-19 legislation that the U.S. Senate is considering. The post explains provisions in the so-called Phase 3 COVID-19 legislation concerning individuals and businesses, and provides an overview of supplemental appropriations in the legislation.

The three agencies that oversee compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) today released a letter encouraging financial institutions to work with customers and communities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in low- and moderate-income communities.

Novogradac has a new web page with legislation, guidance and other information on how federal and state responses to the COVID-19 pandemic affect affordable housing, community development and renewable energy communities. There are sections dedicated to the low-income housing tax credit, the U.S.