Banking, money and insurance
20 upcoming changes, soonest first.
October 2026 1
HUD's Section 108 loan guarantee fee rises to 1.05 percent from 0.58 percent
Borrowers under Section 108 loan guarantee commitments awarded in the new fiscal year pay a fee of 1.05 percent of the loan principal at each disbursement, up from 0.58 percent. The fee applies only if Congress again requires or allows HUD to charge it.
November 2026 2
Bank regulators narrow what counts as unsafe banking and when examiners can issue warnings
The Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC define an unsafe or unsound practice as one breaking prudent standards and likely to materially harm a bank's finances or the insurance fund. Formal examiner warnings are limited to legal violations and practices reasonably expected to cause such harm.
Fed will publish stress test scenarios and model changes for public comment each year
The Federal Reserve will release proposed stress test scenarios each January for at least 30 days of public comment, and will seek comment on material model changes before using them. It also finalizes the models for the coming test.
December 2026 1
Credit union trust accounts get one insurance category, capped at $1.25 million per owner
Federal share insurance at credit unions will cover revocable and irrevocable trust funds under one trust accounts category: $250,000 per beneficiary, up to five beneficiaries, or $1,250,000 per grantor at each credit union. This ends the separate formulas for larger trusts.
January 2027 10
Brokerages must notify heirs on transfer-on-death accounts and pay within 60 days
Firms holding transfer-on-death securities must start notifying named beneficiaries once they learn all owners died, and pay each share within 60 days of full paperwork. Charities named as beneficiaries come first and need only basic ID; other beneficiaries follow a year later.
Car-sharing platforms' liability for owners set at no less than $250,000 per person
Peer-to-peer car-sharing programs no longer take on all of an owner's liability while someone else drives the car. They cover injured third parties up to the amounts in their agreement, at least $250,000 per person, $500,000 per accident and $100,000 for property damage.
FAIR Plan must post policy counts by ZIP code and its risk exposure every quarter
The California FAIR Plan, the last-resort property insurer, must post each quarter on its website the number of policies it has issued in each ZIP code and its risk exposure. It no longer has to list its toll-free number in phone books.
FAIR Plan must tell policyholders every year about coverage options from regular insurers
The California FAIR Plan must send every policyholder a notice of coverage options at least yearly, including at each renewal, and agents must tell clients about clearinghouse offers from regular insurers. Agents registered with the plan must complete its approved training.
Lenders may pay interest on held home insurance payouts directly to borrowers
Lenders holding home insurance payouts in a loss draft account during repairs still owe at least 2 percent interest, but may now pay it to the borrower directly instead of crediting the account. Uncashed interest checks are canceled after 90 days and credited back.
Life and disability insurers barred from using genetic tests to deny or price coverage
Life and disability insurers cannot deny, limit or price coverage on genetic tests, or ask for genetic information. The exception: results in a medical record, not from a direct-to-consumer test, used with consent only to rule out a risk. Full genomes are off limits.
Sonoma County supervisors may grant retirees a yearly cost-of-living raise
The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors may now approve a cost-of-living increase each year for county retirement and death allowances. First it must work with the retirement board on who gets it, the amount and the funding, backed by an actuary's cost statement.
Unclaimed retirement plan payouts stay out of state hands only if actually forfeited
Unclaimed employee benefit plan payouts go to the state after 3 years unless the plan allows forfeiture. Now that exception applies only if the payout was actually forfeited and the plan has not reversed it.
Utility rates must be adjusted when any new federal law changes utility taxes
The Public Utilities Commission must weigh how every new federal law, including the latest federal tax and spending law, changes the federal taxes of utilities whose rates it sets, and adjust rates if costs change materially. Earlier law covered only an earlier federal tax overhaul.
Wildfire-area home insurance protection grows to two years, with three renewals after a loss
For two years after an emergency is declared, up from one, insurers may not cancel or refuse to renew home policies in or next to a wildfire perimeter solely because the fire happened there. After a disaster total loss, insurers must renew at least three times, up from two.
July 2027 1
State may let crypto firms pay license fees and other charges in stablecoins
The Department of Financial Protection and Innovation may adopt rules letting applicants and licensees under the Digital Financial Assets Law make certain payments owed to it in stablecoins. Payments tied to enforcement actions are excluded.
January 2028 4
Banks must also report suspected elder financial abuse to the FBI and tell the person
When a financial institution's mandated reporter reports suspected financial abuse of an elder or dependent adult, a report must also go to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center within 2 working days. The institution must notify the person within 48 hours and train reporters yearly.
CalPERS members must pay unpaid service credit balances within 90 days of retiring
For CalPERS service credit purchases taking effect from this date, any balance left at retirement must be paid within 90 days or the credit is cut or removed. Members can no longer cover it by taking a smaller pension.
Home insurers must give 90 days' notice and detailed reasons before dropping a policy
Home insurers must send nonrenewal notices at least 90 days ahead instead of 75, explain the reasons in plain language and give time to fix problems. They may not drop a policy over certain claims, coverage questions, or roof age if an inspection shows 5 years left.
Anti-money laundering rule for investment advisers delayed by two years
The Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network pushes back by two years its rule requiring registered investment advisers and exempt reporting advisers to run anti-money laundering programs and file suspicious activity reports. The deadline to set up those programs moves with it.
July 2028 1
Insurers face new limits on sharing customers' personal information
A rewritten insurance privacy law bars insurers, agents and their vendors from sharing a customer's personal information unless it is reasonably needed for an insurance transaction or the customer consents. Customers get a stand-alone privacy notice and can see, correct or delete their data.