Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by the devastating natural disasters affecting California. We recognize that the immediate focus of our colleagues and friends in these regions is on ensuring the safety of their family and loved ones.

We also have made available the latest incident information below. Please contact us and let us know if there is any way we can be of assistance. 

2018 January Storm Information

The County of Santa Barbara has set up a resource page containing important, up-to-date safety information relating to the January storm affecting the region: https://www.countyofsb.org/january-storm-info.sbc.

Latest Information & Resources: Southern California Fires (December)

• Governor Jerry Brown has declared a State of Emergency in Los Angeles County due to the effects of the Creek and Rye fires, in Ventura County due to the Thomas Fire, in San Diego County due to the Lilac Fire and in Santa Barbara County. 
• The California DBO has also proclaimed an Extraordinary Situation in both Ventura County, Los Angeles County, San Diego County and Santa Barbara County. 
• The OCC has announced that it will allow national banks and federal savings associations affected by wildfires in California to close. Read the announcement here. The OCC also released its interagency guidance for institutions affected by a major disaster, which you can read here.
• The Federal Reserve has also issued guidance for institutions affected by a major disaster.
• The San Luis Obispo Tribune has established a resource page listing ways you can help the victims of the Southern California fires and the Los Angeles Times has also set up a page listing ways you can help virtually and in person.
• The Salvation Army has also set up a gifting webpage you can use to donate.

How CBA is Helping

CBA has been reaching out to our bankers affected by these diasters to express our concern, and offer our assistance and support. We know that they are doing everything within their control to assure their employees, customers and others in the community are receiving the support that they may need in this time of crisis. If your bank has been impacted and CBA has not yet reached out to you, please contact us and let us know if there is any way we can be of assistance.

On the regulatory front, CBA has been, and remains, in contact with state and federal regulators to facilitate open communication channels regarding the impacts on supervised financial institutions.

How to Stay Informed on the Latest

Fire victims can also apply for property tax relief. Click here for more information.

Please visit CalFire’s website at www.fire.ca.gov/ and the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services website here for the latest fire information.

Follow CBA on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for the latest information from our member banks.

Information & Resources: Northern California Fires (October)

The governor has issued an Executive Order to expedite recovery efforts in communities impacted by the wildfires. The governor’s office has also established a website for statewide recovery resources, wildfirerecovery.org, which includes information on temporary housing.

California state and federal representatives have sent a letter to President Trump, requesting $7.4 billion in wildfire relief aid.

The DBO also issued orders authorizing closure of state-chartered bank offices located in Napa, Sonoma, Yuba, Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Nevada, Solano and Orange counties due to the wildfires.

The Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco has also announced disaster relief efforts, including increasing CIP and ACE program limits and the availability of matching funds for disaster relief donations. 

The FDIC has announced steps to provide regulatory relief to financial institutions and facilitate recovery in areas of California affected by recent wildfires. The FDIC is encouraging banks to work constructively with borrowers experiencing difficulties beyond their control because of damage the fires. It will also consider regulatory relief from certain filing and publishing requirements.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has also directed banks affected by the California wildfires to contact FinCEN and their functional regulators as soon as possible to discuss any delays in their ability to file Bank Secrecy Act reports. FinCEN has also issued an advisory warning banks of fraud risk as recovery continues in areas recently affected by hurricanes and wildfires. FinCEN urged banks to pay particular attention to benefits fraud, charities fraud and cyber-related fraud in disaster-stricken areas.

How You Can Help

Relief for those impacted by the fires is being provided by several charitable organizations, as well as private businesses and individuals:

• The American Red Cross has established a webpage regarding their Northern California wildfire relief efforts which includes several resources for those directly impacted, as well as opportunities for individuals to provide financial contributions.
• The Salvation Army has also mobilized staff and volunteers to provide meals to evacuees at designated disaster relief centers in the affected counties. Information regarding their Northern California response efforts can be found here, and here, for their Southern California relief efforts.