OneUnited's Kevin Cohee Criticizes CRA Rating

Boston Globe
Thursday, November 6, 2014

OneUnited Bank CEO Kevin Cohee has urged regulators to take a more nuanced approach to evaluating minority-owned banks in the wake of the bank's recently announced “Needs to Improve” Community Reinvestment Act rating. In its report, the FDIC knocked OneUnited, which operates in Boston, Miami and Los Angeles, for insufficient lending in its Boston and Miami markets. Cohee argued that minority-owned banks should not be measured the same way a large bank is judged on community lending. “We do not think the report is fair or accurate,’’ Cohee said. Loans in low income areas, “while appropriate to support the economic development of these communities... have unique, riskier profiles.”