Federal bank regulatory agencies have released the 2025 list of distressed or underserved nonmetropolitan middle-income geographies. These areas are eligible for Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) credit for certain bank activities.
The CRA requires agencies to evaluate a bank’s efforts in meeting the credit needs of its entire community, including low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, while ensuring safe and sound operations. The newly released list identifies geographies where revitalization or stabilization activities can receive CRA consideration. These designations take into account local economic conditions such as unemployment, poverty, and population changes.
Activities in these designated areas will be eligible for CRA consideration under the community development definition for a period of 12 months following the publication of this list. Additionally, there is a one-year lag period applied to geographies that were included in the 2024 list but are not on the current list.
The full 2025 List of Distressed or Underserved Nonmetropolitan Middle-Income Geographies is available in PDF format.
