In the News

Housing Wire, December 16, 2021, Mortgage industry cheers Sandra Thompson’s nomination Industry stakeholders and affordable housing advocates welcomed news that the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s acting director, Sandra Thompson, was nominated for the permanent role. Some had previously expressed frustration that there was not a permanent nominee for the FHFA, although there is recent precedent for an acting FHFA […]

News Deal, December 15, 2021, Can Raleigh And Durham Avoid Past Development Mistakes As They Grow? Downtown Durham and Raleigh have seen significant public and private investment. But the new high rises, office buildings and condos are a double-edged sword. As the tax base grew, so did property owners’ assessments and tax bills, often with

American Banker, December 13, 2021, Big-Bank Mergers Face New Hurdles Amid Washington Power Struggle An unexpected salvo by Democratic appointees at federal banking agencies has added another complication to large and midsize bank mergers, which were already lagging in the face of regulatory delays. The recent drama in Washington is expected to continue slowing down

The Hill, December 14, 2021, Failed Watchdog Nomination Angers Progressives President Biden’s failed nomination of a top bank watchdog, Saule Omarova, has left progressives furious and consumer advocates concerned about the future of a key agency.  “I don’t think it was a winnable fight,” said Jesse Van Tol, president and CEO of the National Community

Yahoo Finance, December 9, 2021, Fintech Leads The Way in Fair Lending Practices with a New Kind Of ‘Relationship Banking’ Up until fairly recently, getting a loan for your small business meant pleading your case at one of the banking behemoths, whose legacy of discrimination is well documented. A data analysis of lending practices from

American Banker, December 9, 2021, Partisan Battle Brewing Over FDIC’s Bank Merger Policy  A partisan battle erupted on the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. board Thursday when Democratic members said they had approved a review of bank merger policy without the consent of the agency’s Trump-appointed chief. Still, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition praised the regulators’

The Harvard Crimson, December 9, 2021, Whose Mission Am I Serving? In 2020, the Globe deemed Boston the country’s “third most ‘intensely gentrified’ city in the US,” specifying that Mission Hill is one neighborhood experiencing gentrification. A 2013 National Community Reinvestment Coalition analysis identified the area just bordering Mission Hill as an area “eligible” for

The Gary Crusader, December 9, 2021, First Merchants Releases Its First Comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility ReportAmong the many focused initiatives, such as volunteering and corporate giving, First Merchants is currently investing $1.4 billion in the low- and moderate-income communities it serves over five years through a partnership with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC).

Government Executive, December 7, 2021, Coronavirus Roundup: More Republican Opposition to Vaccine Rules; HHS Touts High Employee Vaccination Rates Last week, a pop-up shop, featuring goods from local women-owned small businesses, funded through a CARES Act grant from the Small Business Administration, opened in Union Station in Washington, D.C. This is a collaboration between the D.C.

Housing Wire, December 7, 2021, HUD Ends Silence on Targeted Lending Programs The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on Tuesday resolved uncertainty around special purpose credit programs, 45 years after Congress allowed lenders to tailor products to groups that have historically been excluded from homeownership. “This was low-hanging fruit,” said Brad Blower, general counsel of

HillRag, December 6, 2021, Opinion: Ward 6 Councilmember Risks Prolonging Homelessness And Displacement Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen new tax measure will provide new revenue for permanent housing opportunities to potentially end homelessness in DC, but first, it requires eviction from homeless camps. DC’s Ward 6 has the “most intense displacement” in the “most intensely

Muncie Journal, December 8, 2021, First Merchants Releases Its First Comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility Publication Today, First Merchants Bank emphasized its focus on local communities with the publication of its first corporate social responsibility report, “Elevating Communities.” The release emphasizes the bank’s commitment to making long-lasting change across all its communities and meaningful, positive difference

5280, December 2, 2021, Adult Entertainment is Building a Community for Black And Brown Denverites Affectionately called Adult Ent, the company’s clothing line is a reflection of Denver’s street culture, says owner Torrance “Pastor Pines” Green. The challenges Pines faced to secure a permanent storefront in Five Points, Denver’s historically Black neighborhood that’s seen rapid

Portland Business Journal, December 1, 2021, Opinion: Branch Deserts Created By Bank Closures Leave Oregonians High And Dry Banking deserts are emerging in communities across the nation, requiring people living in primarily lower-income and minority areas to travel long distances to access in-person financial services, according to a recent report by the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC).

OPB, December 1, 2021, Nyssa, Oregon, is Losing Its Last Bank Banks are closing branches nationwide. But what happens when that branch is the last in town? Nyssa’s lone bank is slated to close in January. On OPB’s broadcast, Jim Maret, city manager of Nyssa and Jason Richardson, director of research and evaluation for the National Community Reinvestment