THE feature

WASHINGTON— Credit union auto lenders might have a reason to look ahead to the holidays with cautious optimism. After a sluggish year for vehicle financing, a combination of falling interest rates, pent-up demand, and renewed consumer confidence could spark a year-end rebound in loan activity, analysts are forecasting.

WASHINGTON—The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund has effectively gone dark after the Treasury Department’s Friday evening reduction in force (RIF) eliminated its entire staff, halting all operations. No grants are being issued, applications processed, or technical assistance provided as the Fund’s work comes to a complete standstill.

WASHINGTON—The Trump Administration on Friday began carrying out large-scale federal layoffs—formally known as reductions in force (RIFs)—marking the first mass terminations of federal employees during a government shutdown in modern U.S. history. But among the most consequential developments for credit unions and community lenders was news that the Treasury Department’s RIF has reportedly eliminated all staff of the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund.