Advancing the Mentor-Protégé Program for Small Financial Institutions Act
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Would establish a Financial Agent Mentor-Protégé Program at the Treasury Department pairing large financial institutions with small, minority, and rural depository institutions to build their capacity to serve customers or act as federal financial agents.
The program aims to help smaller institutions gain skills and access typically reserved for larger banks, potentially expanding opportunities for minority and rural-serving lenders within the federal financial system.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would amend the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 to direct the Treasury Secretary to establish a Financial Agent Mentor-Protégé Program. Under the program, a Treasury-designated financial agent or a large financial institution (assets of $50 billion or more) could mentor a small financial institution—defined to include entities with $2 billion or less in assets, minority depository institutions, or rural depository institutions—to help it prepare to serve as a federal financial agent or improve its customer service capacity.
The bill would require Treasury to hold annual outreach events promoting participation, issue guidance for excluding participants from the program, and report annually to Congress on participation numbers and outreach events held. The amendments would take effect 90 days after enactment. The bill does not itself fund the program or mandate that any specific institution participate.
Key provisions
- 1Would establish the Financial Agent Mentor-Protégé Program allowing large institutions or Treasury-designated financial agents to mentor small financial institutions
- 2Would require Treasury to hold outreach events at least once a year to promote program participation
- 3Would require Treasury to issue guidance or regulations establishing a process to exclude participants from the program
- 4Would require Treasury to report annually to Congress on program participation and outreach events held
Who would be affected
Small, minority, and rural depository institutions eligible to be "protégés," large financial institutions and Treasury-designated financial agents eligible to serve as mentors, and the Department of the Treasury, which would administer the program, conduct outreach, and report to Congress.
Why it matters
Smaller and minority- or rural-focused institutions could gain mentorship and pathways to serve as federal financial agents, potentially expanding their capacity and business opportunities. Large institutions and Treasury-designated agents would take on a formal mentoring role, and Treasury would bear new administrative and reporting duties to keep Congress informed of the program's reach.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 (12 U.S.C. 1463 note) (Sec. 2)
Adds a new subsection establishing the Financial Agent Mentor-Protégé Program with mentorship, outreach, exclusion, and reporting requirements
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- The Act and its amendments establishing the mentor-protégé program
How implementation would work
Treasury would designate financial agents and identify large institutions eligible to serve as mentors, then match them with eligible small, minority, or rural depository institutions under guidance or regulations it prescribes. Treasury must hold outreach events annually to recruit participants, create an exclusion process for removing participants, and submit yearly reports to Congress detailing participation counts and outreach activity, beginning after the 90-day effective-date window following enactment.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Official CRS summary
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Advancing the Mentor-Protégé Program for Small Financial Institutions Act
This bill establishes the Financial Agent Mentor-Protégé Program within the Department of the Treasury. The program provides participating minority and rural depository institutions and small financial institutions with mentorship from large financial institutions or from financial agents designated by Treasury. This mentorship prepares protégé institutions to improve service capacity or to perform as financial agents for the federal government.
Legislative subjects
Corporate finance and management; Employment and training programs; Finance and Financial Sector; Financial services and investments
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-205