{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/heidi-in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=C8B0CE35-46D7-4E1D-AF6E-880BB4E112A8", "Minot Daily News: Bankers support bill to ease regulations, protect consumers", "2017-11-15", "2017", "2017-11", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Minot Daily News \n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\tArea bankers are supporting a bipartisan Senate bill designed to provide regulatory relief for financial institutions and increase consumer protections.\r\n\r\nU.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-ND, on Tuesday announced the bipartisan agreement coming out of the Senate Banking Committee. The legislation tailors regulations for banks to better reflect their business models, providing relief for small financial institutions.\r\n\r\n\r\n\u201cCommunity banks like Cornerstone Bank support small businesses, families and farmers across North Dakota, but our efforts to grow and support our communities have been challenged by burdensome regulations,\u201d\u00a0said Gary Petersen, chairman of Cornerstone Bank, New Town.\r\n\u201cThe appraisal issue in rural areas has been a problem for a while and it needed fixing,\u201d\u00a0said Tyler Neether, vice president for business lending at Town & Country Credit Union, Minot.\u00a0\u201cWe are in the relationship lending business and getting qualified appraisals in a timely matter was difficult. The process and delay was harming our members.\u201d\r\n\u201cThis is a major victory for consumers not only across the United States, but especially in rural areas such as the Dakotas,\u201d\u00a0added Jeremiah Kossen, president of Town & Country Credit Union, Minot, who applauded provisions that would increase consumer access to mortgages and loans.\r\nConsumer protections in the legislation include:\r\n\u2013 Requires fraud alerts in consumers\u2019 files for one year and provides a free credit freeze alert for parents to put on their children.\r\n\u2013 Protects veterans\u2019 credit by prohibiting a credit reporting agency from including medical debt in reports.\r\n\u2013 Extends immunity from liability to certain people who disclose suspected exploitation of seniors.\r\n\u2013 Re-imposes protections for tenants that were repealed in 2014.\r\n\u2013 Requires the Treasury Department to submit a report to Congress on the risks of cyber threats to financial institutions and the U.S. capital markets.\r\nLast spring, the Senate Banking Committee issued a request for legislative proposals from organizations, companies and consumers aimed at creating economic growth. The committee subsequently held a series of hearings exploring the proposals and has been negotiating and drafting a reform package since that time.\r\nIn the past 30 years, the number of community banks and credit unions have dropped by about two-thirds, yet more than 80 percent of North Dakota deposits still go to community banks, reinforcing that small financial institutions remain a key resource for North Dakota families, according to Heitkamp.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/heidi-in-the-news?ContentRecord_id=C8B0CE35-46D7-4E1D-AF6E-880BB4E112A8"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.3989903964102268, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}