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Bloomington, Indiana has introduced itself as the first "CDFI Friendly City", in hopes of establishing a new model to bring national financing to local community development. CDFIs, which serve neighborhoods or groups the financial sector has historically neglected, have expanded in recent years but still aren't reaching many American cities. "More than a quarter of counties in the U.S. have had no CDFI lending in the five years between 2011 and 2015," says Brett Theodos, a principal research associate at the Urban Institute who studies on CDFIs. In December 2017, the Urban Institute released a report breaking down the types of state and local policy that are important for CDFIs to enter a market. There are significant challenges for smaller communities and more rural areas, according to Theodos.
Recently, several large banks have been called out for discriminatory lending practices, including not serving low income areas. For many of those residents, banking services offering personal bank accounts and loans for homes and small businesses, can be difficult to access. But some banks, like Industrial Bank, have made their focus serving those communities. This radio segment explores what it means to live in a "banking desert." Jacquie Boles, Senior Vice President at Industrial Bank, contributes.
On April 9, the Treasury Department debuted the first details of a new and far-reaching community-based tax incentive. In 18 states, newly designated zones could see a wave of new investment under a little-known provision of the recent tax overhaul. These opportunity zones are designed to lure investment to the nation's poorest urban, suburban, and rural communities with a powerful tax incentive. By the accounts of some experts, the program could deliver a vital injection to areas that haven't yet recovered from the Great Recession. Yet it could also fuel gentrification in those communities where too much opportunity, too fast, has led to rapid displacement.
Urban Institute has collected data on 274 of the largest US cities and ranked those cities on economic, racial, and overall inclusion across four decades. It also measured economic health to see whether cities could harness growth to improve inclusion. The interactive dataset can be explored online to explore national trends, learn lessons from case-study cities, and dig deeper into your own city.
In this article authored by Sunrise Banks CEO David Reiling, the possibility of an Amazon-branded checking account is discussed. Reiling examines whether the product can ceate positive social change, and suggests a potential partnership between Amazon and small, innovative banks in addition to larger institutions like JPMorgan Chase. "The key to disruption in any sector is agility," he wrote. "Big banks are far too clunky and siloed for the rapid adaptive innovation required."
If Congress passes a major rollback of banking rules put in place in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, thousands of banks could be freed from a range of federal regulations. Louisiana community bankers say that, unlike large lenders that bundle mortgages together and quickly resell them on the markets, they keep most of their loans. Ken Hale, president and CEO of the Bank of Montgomery, discussed the impact of such regulations on his bank's finances. "In most rural areas, for most community banks, real estate lending is kind of our bread and butter," he said, explaining that federal regulations are unnecessary in his context to determine whether the bank should issue a mortgage.
This article from the American Banker examines the partnership between New Resource Bank in San Francisco and a fintech firm, which aims to reach underserved small-business clients. New Resource, which agreed to sell itself to Amalgamated Bank in New York in December, is delving into an area — working with fintech — that has largely been the domain of larger financial institutions. In doing so, New Resource is taking part in an arrangement that industry observers view as unique given the bank's size. The partnership is enticing for banks looking to grow their C&I portfolios. "I think there's definitely room for niche players," said Ian Benton, a senior digital banking and payments analyst with Javelin Strategy & Research. "That's why bank partnerships make so much sense."
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, African Americans built a successful business community in Durham, North Carolina. Durham's Black Wall Street flourished, becoming home to some of the most influential minority-owned businesses in the country, including Mechanics and Farmers Bank, the second-oldest minority-owned bank in the United States. Today, black-owned businesses are continuing to thrive. According to the US Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners, black-owned firms make up more than a quarter of all companies in Durham, nearly twice the percentage of black-owned firms in North Carolina as a whole.
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 Street corridor that was once devastated by the unrest. "The city's population is increasing by almost 1,000 people a month. There is new development and housing going up," Doyle Mitchell said. "For our bank, the future is very bright."
The historic Brookfield Building, once home to the administrative offices of Fairfax Municipal Airport in Kansas, was named as one of the most dangerous buildings in Kansas City after years of neglect. The space has been renovated and now houses a boutique hotel and residential space in the heart of Kansas City. Central Bank of Kansas City was a major player in the development of the 118-room hotel and 27 adjoined residential units.