Community Bankers Take the OCC to Court Over Crypto Trust Charters

By Isaac • October 3, 2026 7:20 pm •

Community bankers have stopped fighting crypto trust charters one application at a time. Now they are asking a federal judge to strike at the rule behind the entire pipeline.

The Independent Community Bankers of America sued the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency in Washington on October 2, according to CryptoSlate. The complaint seeks to vacate the OCC’s national trust bank rule and Interpretive Letter 1176, arguing that the agency stretched a limited-purpose charter beyond what Congress authorized.

The stakes extend well beyond one company. ICBA says the OCC has approved or conditionally approved 21 trust banks, including 13 tied to crypto.

Banking groups previously objected to individual applications from crypto companies. The OCC kept