On August 22, 2025, Reuters reported that leading US banks intensified their lobbying campaign, pressing regulators to introduce unified federal standards for banking services. The initiative aims to limit the authority of individual states, particularly in matters of customer service refusals (“debanking”) based on political or religious beliefs, as well as in areas of bond issuance and lending.
Pressure on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) comes against the backdrop of an executive order by President Donald Trump and a ruling by the US Supreme Court, which reaffirmed the primacy of federal law for national banks. The campaign highlights the growing role of lobbying efforts in the financial sector, which could significantly reshape the balance between state and federal regulation.
