Why Are Minority-Owned Banks Disappearing? Washington Holds the Smoking Gun

Politico
Wednesday, January 19, 2022

At the moment the Great Recession hit in 2008, America boasted 215 minority-owned banks. Today, only 146 so-called "minority depository institutions" remain. That decline, a trend that might be termed "The Great Winnowing," began well before the bottom fell out of the nation's housing market, and it reflects, in part, a broader trend toward consolidation within the world of finance. But Washington has also played an egregious role. Recent congressional funding boosts in these institutions are a good start. But to end the vicious cycle, Washington must be much more aggressive given the inevitable dips in the economy.