Community Banks Hurt By Excessive Regulation

VIDEO: Congressman Barr's opening statement during Financial Services Committee hearing examining the regulatory burdens on community banks.

April 17, 2013

Community and regional bankers across central and eastern Kentucky consistently tell me that over-regulation has effectively prohibited reputational, relationship, and character-based lending, which in turn deprives entrepreneurs and small businesses the ability to access the capital needed to create much-needed jobs.

At a time when we should be supporting job-creators who are putting Kentuckians back to work, the harmful effects of over-regulation from Washington continue to ripple right out into businesses on Main Street seeking credit to expand, farmers seeking agricultural loans, and families working to purchase a home.  

We must address the current one-size-fits-all approach that imposes the same regulatory burdens on small institutions as larger ones so that our community bankers can devote more time and resources to working with job-creators to drive innovation and economic growth.