On March 24, the OCC’s Acting Comptroller, Rodney E. Hood, delivered a speech which highlighted the OCC’s ongoing commitment to financial inclusion through Project REACh. The OCC’s Project REACh will focus on affordable homeownership as a critical area. The Acting Comptroller emphasized the initiative’s goal to “dismantle systemic barriers and promote innovative solutions that advance financial inclusion” and improve underserved communities’ access to credit. Project REACh, launched in July 2020, is an initiative that seeks to bring together leaders from various sectors to develop innovative solutions that promote financial inclusion and affordable homeownership.

The Acting Comptroller emphasized that improving access to credit will make homeownership attainable for all individuals, regardless of their background or economic status, and that this effort is not solely about increasing homeownership rates but ensuring that the benefits of stability and wealth creation are accessible to everyone.