Fifty years after the riots that followed the April 4, 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Washington Post tells the story of Industrial Bank, a black-owned bank in Washington, DC that was founded during the Great Depression and survived the riots. Doyle Mitchell Jr., President and CEO, and his sister, Patricia Mitchell, are interviewed about the bank's history, mission, and survival. Before the riots, the bank cultivated a large and dedicated customer base. In the 50 years of operation since the riots, the bank has continued to grow, benefiting from a resergence along the U... Read more

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Central California has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the Bank of Rio Vista, based in the Sacramento Delta, for $40.7 million. Last year, F&M bought a nearly 40% stake in the Bank of Rio Vista for $12 million. As part of the new transaction, F&M will buy the remaining 60.35% of the century-old bank, which currently has branches in Rio Vista, Walnut Grove, and Lodi, CA. F&M has 28 locations from Merced to downtown Sacramento. F&M said in a news release that it expects the acquisition to be accretive to earnings in 2019, which will be... Read more

The US Department of the Treeasury has released recommendations to modernize the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The recomendations were issued to the primary CRA regulators, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Reserve Board, and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. The objective of the recommendations it to better align CRA activity with the needs of the communities that banks serve, while being conducted in a manner consistent with a bank's safety and soundness. 

Lower-income neighborhoods are plagued by disproportionately fewer bank branches, prompting some residents to turn to high-cost alternatives to obtain capital. Advocates say there is a viable option to help fill the void. In Buffalo, NY, some legislators are calling for the state to allocate $25 million to support CDFIs. "We want to see a statewide investment, an affirmative policy where the state is committing to support institutions that share this mission to serve low-income communities," said Andy Morrison, campaigns director for the New Economy Project. The small number of bank... Read more

It has been 50 years since Lyndon Johnson signed the Fair Housing Act of 1968, a landmark law passed in the aftermath of Martin Luther King's assassination that banned discriminatory practices in housing. However, homeownership remains elusive for African Americans. Since the financial crisis, the average homeownership rate has fallen below 64%, not much higher than it was in the 1960s. While every racial demographic suffered as a result of the housing collapse, none suffered more than African Americans.

The plight of the unbanked in the US' poorest regions is a modern-day scandal in the world's richest nation. This article highlights the work of Southern Bancorp as it seeks to address the problem. In a region that has become a financial desert, where banks have left or refuse to lend to the community because of rigid credit policies from headquarters many states away, Southern Bancorp has breathed life into the small-town communities of Arkansas and Mississippi. In 50% of its locations, it is either the only bank or one of two. 

On March 22, the House of Representatives passed a $1.3 trillion, 2,232-page spending bill that would keep government agencies operating through September. The bill includes total funding for the CDFI Fund at $250 million, the highest ever received. The Bank Enterprise Award Program also received an increase in funding from $23 million to $25 million, which would greatly benefit CDFI banks. The Senate is expected to vote on the passage of the bill before the end of the week. If signed into law, this bill is widely expected to be the last major legislation that Congress will pass before the... Read more

There has been a recent surge in sales of larger community development banks. Last year, 34 banks with $1 - $10 billion in assets agreed to be sold, a 26% increase from 2016 and an over-50% increase from 2011. These deals hint at potential future mergers among bigger institutions, though disagreements over pricing can often delay or derail some deals. According to data from the FDIC the average bank is also getting bigger. Banks may find it challenging to grow organically, said Vincent Hui, who leads the M&A and risk management practices at Cornerstone Advisers.

First Independence Bank, a black-owned bank headquartered in Detroit, is gaining a new CEO: Kenneth Kelly, a former Birmingham executive with experience at Alabama Power Co. and Hands-On Birmingham. Kelly will be responsible for leading the bank's local financial operations and overseeing its management infrastructure. "As chairman and CEO, Kenneth brings deep and experienced business leadership to First Independence Bank," said Linda Forte, board member and chairwoman of the human resources committee. "His knowledge, relationships, and expertise will be extremely valuable in leading the... Read more