In the News

NBC News, October 20, 2023, Black Entrepreneurs And DEI Efforts Face Complaints And Lawsuits — For Racial Discrimination Just months after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative actionin higher education, conservatives have set their sights on a new target: initiatives meant to close racial disparities in business.  Black business owners typically receive less than 2% of […]

Muncie Journal, October 20, 2023, First Merchants Bank Remains Community Focused As It Continues To Grow First Merchants Bank is a familiar name for residents of Delaware County – as it should be since the bank recently celebrated its 130th anniversary. With locations in four states, First Merchants Bank has grown into a large corporation,

Newsbreak, October 20, 2023, Pennsylvania Customers Disrupted As More Bank Branches Prepare To Shutter Major banks continue to push customers toward online banking as they close locations across the United States. Each week, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) releases a bulletin of banks set to close, and the list continues to

The Sun, October 10, 2023, Major Bank Closures Hit Over 1,000 Locations Across 5 US States With Wells Fargo Leading Pack By Shutting 267 Branches The banking industry has witnessed over 1,000 retail branch locations close already in 2023. In 2021, Wells Fargo lead the pack with 267 closures, per S&P Global Market Intelligence Data

Business Wire, October 10, 2023, Wolters Kluwer Announces Keynote Speakers For The 27th CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium Wolters Kluwer Compliance Solutions will host its 27th annual CRA & Fair Lending Colloquium November 13-16 in Austin, Texas. Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Justice, will present the keynote address on Monday, November 13. Jesse Van

The Sun, October 10, 2023, Final Hours Until Wells Fargo Closes Two Locations As 100 Are Set To Shut Down This Year Two more Wells Fargo branch locations are set to shutter in New Mexico on October 4. Banks have pointed to plans to digitize as the main culprit for the closures, but the rate has shocked some lawmakers into action. Around one-third of

Next Pittsburgh, October 10, 2023, South Side’s Tarnished Reputation May Be Contributing To Its Gentrification Over the past two years, violence on East Carson Street has kept the community in the media spotlight. Responses have been swift: new policing initiatives and the formation of the South Side Community Action Network (SouthSideCAN). Yet, the South Side continues to

Source NM, October 10, 2023, Colorado River Officials To Expand Troubled Water Conservation Program In 2024 Colorado River officials plan to expand a conservation program next year that pays farmers and ranchers to use less water. But questions remain about some of the proposed ideas and the program’s overall efficacy. The state initially launched the System

PBS, October 10, 2023, In This 5k, Runners Experience The History And Resilience Of North St. Louis North St. Louis has endured decades of disinvestment and systemic racism. On maps from the 1930s, federal agencies designated much of the area “hazardous” or “definitely declining.” The practice of redlining, or systemically denying a person mortgages, insurance

Bloomberg Law, October 3, 2023, Banks, Realtors Push US Agencies to Cap Home Appraisal Do-Overs Banks and realtors urged federal regulators to limit the number of times a potential homebuyer or seller can challenge an appraisal of the property’s value. Five agencies proposed guidance in June seeking to make it easier for consumers to ask

Axios, October 3, 2023, How New Bank Capital Rules Could Hit Black Borrowers Hardest New Federal Reserve rules meant to make big banks safer — the set of plans known as Basel Endgame — would make it even harder for low- and middle-income Americans, a group that includes a disproportionate number of Black Americans, to get a

Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights Under Law, October 3, 2023, Lawyers’ Committee Calls on the Supreme Court to Uphold Chevron, Citing Impacts on Civil Rights if Overturned The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law – in collaboration with Pro Bono counsel Moore & Van Allen, PLLC – led a group of civil rights organizations

Colorado Newsline, October 3, 2023, Colorado River Officials To Expand Troubled Water Conservation Program In 2024 Colorado River officials plan to expand a conservation program next year that pays farmers and ranchers to use less water. But questions remain about some of the proposed ideas and the program’s overall efficacy. The state initially launched the System

The Sun, September 23, 2023, Two Major Banks Set To Close Four Branches In Key State As Customers Need To Make Plans To Secure Their Money Banks filed paperwork to shut down four branches in Texas this year. The Texas branch closures will impact two major banks – JPMorgan and Home Bank. Bank closures are not reflective on

Next City, September 23, 2023, Banks Discriminate Against Black And Latino Small Businesses, Report Shows A new report by National Community Reinvestment Coalition shows widespread discrimination in small business lending. The coalition sent testers to 34 New York City bank branches to evaluate disparities in small business lending and found that “bank staff were more cordial, affirming