Recent News
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
John Williams will move from the San Francisco Fed to take on the pivotal New York Federal Reserve president's position. Long rumored for the job, Williams will exit the president's post he held in San Francisco since 2011. As head of the New York district, he will oversee the important trading desk that helps set the Fed's key funds rate used as a benchmark for multiple types of consumer and bank debt. The appoitment comes with the Fed in the middle of some key operations in carrying out its mandate of skipping the economy at full employment and stabilizing inflation.
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.
Black Americans experience dramatically lower upward mobility than white Americans do -- a difference that appears to be driven largely by significant economic disadvantages among black men. This conclusion comes from a groundbreaking study that combines Census Bureau data on race with IRS tax returns, which allows economists to track individuals' earnings over many years and tie them to their parents' earnings. The study compares intergenerational mobility, the degree to which children exceed or fall behind their parents economically, across different racial groups. This article from Vox... Read more
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.
First Independence Bank chairman & CEO Kenneth Kelly has been appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago's Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council. The council is comprised of 12 members who are industry leaders across the Midwest, currently representing portions of the five states in the Seventh Federal Reserve District – Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and Wisconsin. Chairman Kelly will serve a three-year term on the council from 2018-2020. “I am grateful to be appointed to the Advisory Council to provide insight into our economy in Michigan and the current... Read more
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
At a press conference on Wednesday, March 21 MS Governor Phil Bryant has named Cindy Hyde-Smith, the state's commissioner of agriculture and commerce, to the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thad Cochran on April 1. Hyde-Smith, a former Democrat who joined the GOP in 2010, is the first female senator in the state's history. She will serve until November, when a special election will determine who will serve the remainder of Cochran's term, which is set to expire in 2020. 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.
New York-based Carver Federal Savings Bank, the last remaining black-owned bank in the City, the turns 70 this year. To commemorate the anniversary, President and CEO Michael Pugh was recently interviewed live on Nasdaq Spotlight to highlight the achievements of the institution. "We know it's important to be able to support low-to-moderate income communities. One example of how we do it at Carver is... financial education. We have a laser focus on this particular pillar as a critical part of our business model," said Pugh. "Over the past nine years, we have educated more than 15,000 people... Read more
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
BankFirst Financial Services in Mississippi has acquired HomeFirst, a mortgage services company in Oxford, Mississippi. The $958 million-asset BankFirst said in a press release that it will retain all of HomeFirst's employees, and will complete the transfer to HomeFirst's customer accounts to BankFirst this month. The bank did not disclose the financial terms of the purchase. "The addition of the HomeFirst team complements and enhances our current mortgage platrorm and establishes a new presence for us in the Oxford community," said Moak Griffin, BankFirst's president and CEO. "We are... Read more
The Senate has recently passed the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief, and Consumer Protection Act, which would roll back financial regulations instituted after the recession. If passed by the House and signed by the President, the Act would reduce the money and resources smaller lenders currently spend on compliance. Savannah Now spoke with Robert James II, President of Carver State Bank, on the impact such legislation would have on CDFI banks. "It really makes sense for smaller banks," said James. "We serve the distressed community, the poorest in Savannah. We make church loans, the... Read more
The CDFI Fund has released its annual report: the 2017 Year in Review. The 60-page report includes the achievements of the CDFI Programs in 2017, as well as key impact data from the history of the Fund. In 2017, the CDFI Fund awarded organizations more than $472 million in financial assistance, loans, and bond guarantees. The CDFI Fund alwo awarded $7 billion in New Markets Tax Credits (NMTCs), the largest single award round in the history of the program.
Last week, the CDFI Fund awarded 40 organizations $120 million in Capital Magnet Fund Awards for the development of affordable housing and related economic development activities in low-income communities. Five CDBA member banks received CMF Awards: BankPlus in Ridgeland, MS: $700,000; MS; Beneficial State Bank in Oakland, CA: $3 MM; Legacy Bank and Trust in Rogersville, MO: $2.4 MM; United Bank of Alabama in Atmore, AL: $4 MM; and Virginia Community Capital in Christiansburg, VA: $4MM. In total, 7 CDFI banks and 2 CDFI bank holding companies applied, with 55%... Read more
Sunrise Banks CEO David Reiling has been named by Trust Across America as a 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree. Reiling is joined by seven other Lifetime Achievement Honorees this year and is the first CEO in the financial industry to receive this award. Honorees stand out as individuals who have been named a Top Thought Leader 5 times and continue to instill the values, principles, and beliefs essential to building a foundation of trust. "I am humbled to be recognized by Trust for a lifetime of achievement and it is an honor to be recognized among such great leaders... Read more
South Carolina Community Bank, plagued by problematic commercial real estate loans and other struggles since the economic crisis of 2008, has witnessed progress in recent months. New president and CEO Dominik Mjartan, in his fourth month at the helm of South Carolina Community Bank, said that it has raised more than $11 million in new deposits and closed more than $3 million in new loans to small businesses, nonprofits, and individuals. "We've cleaned up," said Mjartan. "I believe, and this bank will prove it, that margin and mission are mutually reinforcing." Mjartan... Read more
Urban Partnership Bank in Chicago is considering selling itself. The $484 million-asset bank is seeking to determine possible interest from buyers. David Vitale, Urban Partnership's chairman, said that the bank, which has shrunk over the past seven years, would benefit from being part of a better capitalized entity. Urban Partnership, designated as a minority bank, was formed in 2010 to buy the failed ShoreBank. Vitale said that Urban Partnership could also stay independent, with a decision likely this spring.
Carver Federal Savings Bank disclosed a regulatory filing that it will sell its corporate office building to a unit of New York real estate company Gatsby Enterprises for $19.5 million. The $656 million-asset company said that it will lease a portion of the property for its main office, through it will move its administrative staff to a nearby location in Harlem.
A task force has recently been established to address the issue of banking deserts in and around Shreveport, Louisiana, a city struggling with rampant payday lending. The task force's top priority is to find either a bank or a credit union who could take some of the parish's deposits and open branches inside banking deserts. Louisiana, which has more payday lender storefronts than McDonalds locations, is in dire need of trusted financial institutions. The task force took inspiration from New York state's creation of a new banking development district in the notoriously poor South Bronx.... Read more