On October 20, 2025, Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould spoke at the American Bankers Association Annual Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Gould stated that his focus as a banking regulator is to rectify the regulatory overreach that has occurred since the 2008 financial crisis, especially regarding the community bank sector.
According to reporting from the ABA Banking Journal’s article, Gould reflected on lessons from the post-2008 financial crisis, criticizing what he called the “broad-brush vilification” of the banking industry that followed. “One of the things that really shaped me was the reaction among certain policymakers … which was, I think, wildly inappropriate,” Gould stated. He added that this led to “a lot of bad supervision and regulatory policy” and said his goal now is to “reset that risk tolerance and take a much more thoughtful approach” to oversight.
On community banking, Gould outlined several OCC initiatives to ease regulatory burdens on smaller institutions. These include a 30% assessment reduction for banks with assets under $40 billion, reinstating a dedicated supervisory group, and focusing supervision on material financial risks. The OCC also plans to expedite licensing for mergers, limit exams to statutory compliance, and simplify Community Reinvestment Act reviews. “If you weren’t meeting the credit needs of your local communities, community banks would cease to exist,” Gould said.
Read the ABA Banking Journal’s article here.