Eight agencies withdraw a statement without touching the code

1Eight signatures, zero changes to the code

The joint rule in the previous article had nine agencies each entering text into their own part of the code. This document does not. Eight agencies sign it, but it is a notice, and the Code of Federal Regulations does not change at all.

2What was rescinded

The subject is an interagency statement dated 22 February 2022. The notice gives its reasons: to make clear that creditors may not discriminate against borrowers based on prohibited characteristics, and that creditors should not rely on that interagency statement or related issuances going forward.

Two documents with a comparable number of signatures can take entirely different legal forms. A rule creates text; a notice announces a state of affairs.

3What the number of signatures does not tell you

How many agencies signed does not directly indicate the weight of a document. What to check is the type — rule or notice — and whether the code is touched. This document carries eight signatures and moves nothing in the code.

The next article takes up four departments entering the same text into four parts of the code.