The federal debanking report named nine banking giants. In Westchester, the question is closer to home.
In his latest column for Black Westchester, Larnez Kinsey takes a new federal review of how the nation’s largest banks treat their customers and asks what fair access to banking looks like for Black-owned businesses and community organizations here in the Hudson Valley.
What the federal report found
On October 14, 2026, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency released Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans, a review of nine national banks covering 2020 through September 2025. The column notes that the report found policies or practices at all nine that may have influenced decisions to deny or limit services, while imposing no fines and not finding every questioned decision illegal.
Fair access is not a favor.
Larnez Kinsey
Closer to home
Kinsey argues the national debate matters locally, because access to accounts, credit and community investment shapes who can start and grow a business. He describes the Chamber’s recent experiences with two regional banks: a proposed six-month entrepreneur program that has not yet found a banking partner, and a financial literacy session at the Chamber’s August networking event that a bank did not attend. The column also explains that the Chamber has filed formal comments under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
How you can take part
- Document your experience. Keep a record of how banks and lenders respond when you seek accounts, credit or community partnerships.
- Use your voice. CRA public comments are reviewed when regulators evaluate banks, so submit them early enough to meet examination deadlines.
- Join the next Community Reinvestment Comment Lab. Contact the Chamber at info@aacchudsonvalley.org or 914-953-0877 to learn more.
This column by Larnez Kinsey was originally published in Black Westchester on October 20, 2026.
