The 2015 CDBA Peer Forum, our largest Peer Forum yet, has wrapped up and we’re pleased to say it was a great success! Nearly 70 bankers from 44 community development banks across the United States came together at Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington, D.C. May 27-28 to network, exchange ideas and discuss their mission of delivering critical financial services to low and moderate income people.

Special Guest Speakers

The Peer Forum is a unique opportunity for community development bankers to hear from policymakers – and for policymakers to receive feedback from bankers. This year’s guest speakers included Administrator of the Small Business Administration Maria Contreras-Sweet, CDFI Fund Director Annie Donovan, Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions Amias Gerety, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consumer Policy Melissa Koide and Assistant Secretary for Financial Stability Tim Bowler.

Expert Panels

Expert panelists from a variety of community development banks helped make the event an engaging and memorable experience. Our panelists represented the full spectrum of the community development banking field. They hailed from banks old and new, urban and rural, local and regional. But they all shared a passion for the mission of community development banking. Panelists discussed a range of critical issues in the sector, including how CDFI banks can partner with other impact investors, new innovations in financial literacy and new initiatives to supplant predatory payday lenders.

New Leadership and a New Plan

The Peer Forum marked the election of a new executive slate for CDBA. Brian Argrett of City First Bank of D.C. was elected Chair and Robert Jones, III of Atmore, Alabama’s United Bank was elected Vice-Chair. Michael Pugh of Carver Federal Savings Bank in New York City was elected to the board of directors for the first time. The membership of CDBA also passed a new strategic plan, which will maintain the services CDBA has historically provided its members while adding to that mission with an ambitious expansion of services and capacity.

To view presentation materials from the 2015 CDBA Peer Forum, Click Here.