Executive Briefing  ·  2026

AI Credit Decisioning & Fair-Lending Compliance Playbook

A practical, 90-day governance plan for banks and credit unions navigating the April 2026 OCC/Fed/FDIC model risk guidance and the fair-lending enforcement record building around AI underwriting.

Get the Playbook — $249 See What's Inside
90Day Action Plan
8Board & Examiner Questions
4Institution Types Covered
2026Current Guidance

Grounded in data from

OCCFederal ReserveFDICNCUADOJMassachusetts AG

Fair-lending enforcement against AI underwriting is no longer theoretical.

A July 2025 Massachusetts settlement established that an AI credit model can violate fair-lending law even without any intent to discriminate — and the April 2026 federal model risk guidance now puts new documentation obligations on every institution using AI in lending, regardless of size.

66%
Of credit unions plan to use AI for credit decisioning
$68M
Recent federal fair-lending settlement — enforcement risk remains active
4
States with active AI-adjacent fair-lending enforcement programs
15 yrs
SR 11-7 stood before being superseded by the April 2026 guidance

Seven sections. One sequenced action plan.

Everything translated from regulatory language into specific, assignable actions.

01

Why This Is Urgent Now

The Massachusetts precedent, the proxy-discrimination problem, and the current fair-lending enforcement climate.

02

What OCC Bulletin 2026-13 Requires

A plain-language breakdown of the April 2026 guidance and what it changes.

03

The Fair-Lending Mechanics

ECOA, Reg B, disparate impact, and the adverse-action-notice "black box" problem.

04

The Five Things Examiners Ask For

Model inventory, bias testing, monitoring, explainability, and vendor governance.

05

What This Means by Institution Type

Specific priorities for large banks, regional banks, community banks, and credit unions.

06 — New

The 90-Day Action Plan

A sequenced, assignable path from "we think we're fine" to "we can prove it."


Written for the people who have to answer for this in an exam.

No technical background assumed — it's built for the people accountable for the answer, not the model itself.

⚖️

Chief Risk & Compliance Officers

Translate the April 2026 guidance into a defensible, documented program.

💼

Chief Technology Officers

Know exactly what documentation examiners and vendors will be asked for.

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Board Members

Get the specific questions to ask management before an examiner asks you first.


Board-ready, examiner-ready.

Model Inventory

"Do we know what AI is embedded in our core provider's credit-scoring tools, and can we get the documentation needed to satisfy our own model risk obligations?"

Bias Testing

"Have we conducted pre-deployment bias testing on every AI credit model in use, documented thoroughly enough to survive examination?"

Explainability

"Can our AI credit models produce adverse action notices specific enough to satisfy ECOA and Regulation B — tested against real denial scenarios?"

Vendor Governance

"Are we relying on a vendor's fair-lending representations, or have we independently validated equitable performance across protected classes?"


A ready-to-use compliance briefing.

📄

Full Playbook (PDF + Word)

Editable Word file plus a polished PDF — ready to circulate to your board or compliance team as-is.

90-Day Action Plan

A sequenced, assignable checklist across inventory, testing, and governance phases.

🏛️

8 Board & Examiner Questions

Ready to drop directly into your next board deck or audit committee agenda.

📚

Full Sources

Every regulatory citation and enforcement action documented and attributed.


A fraction of the cost of a single finding.

One-time purchase. No subscription.

Single Institution License
$249
One-time purchase · Instant delivery (PDF + Word)
Full playbook — PDF and editable Word file
90-day sequenced action plan
8 board- and examiner-ready questions
Immediate email delivery upon purchase
Get the Playbook — $249

Secure checkout · Delivered to your email immediately


Common questions.

How is this different from the full report?

This is a focused, standalone briefing on AI credit decisioning and fair-lending compliance, including a new 90-day action plan not found in the flagship report. The full report covers five pillars across the entire AI-in-banking landscape.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is independent research meant to inform your conversation with counsel and examiners, not replace it. Every regulatory citation is sourced so your team can go directly to the primary document.

How current is it?

It reflects the April 2026 OCC/Fed/FDIC model risk guidance and enforcement activity through mid-2026, including the Massachusetts AI underwriting settlement and current state enforcement posture.

How is it delivered?

Immediately by email upon purchase — both a PDF and an editable Word file, so your team can adapt the 90-day plan directly.