Advocacy, Coalitions, Community Benefits
The Community Reinvestment Act was a landmark civil rights law passed in 1977 to end discrimination that was once common in America’s banking and housing markets. NCRC leads campaigns, community coalitions, advocacy with federal policy makers and negotiations with lenders to fulfill their obligations under the law.
Our #TreasureCRA campaign seeks to strengthen and modernize it.
Since 2016, banks have pledged more than $84 billion in lending and philanthropy through community benefits agreements negotiated with NCRC. We also serve as watchdogs, analyzing essential data to identify misbehaving financial institutions in our member communities.
Completed CBAs
- KeyBank in March 2016 for $16.5 billion.
- Huntington Bancshares in May 2016 for $16.1 billion.
- Fifth Third Bank in November 2016 for $30 billion.
- First Financial Bank in October 2017 for $1.7 billion.
- Santander Bank in November 2017 for $11 billion.
- IBERIABANK in November 2017 for $6.7 billion.
- First Tennessee Bank in April 2018 for $4 billion.
- Wells Fargo & Company (DC) in October 2018 for $1.6 billion
- Fifth Third updated agreement in October 2018 for an additional $2 billion.
- Truist in July 2019 for $60 billion.
What is the CRA?
The CRA is a law that requires banks to serve the credit needs of communities where they take deposits, including low- and moderate-income communities. The law was passed in 1977 to reverse redlining patterns, and promotes neighborhood revitalization. CRA makes wealth building more accessible by creating access to responsible home ownership opportunities, basic banking services, and capital for small businesses. The CRA also calls on banks to support affordable housing, small business development, social services and neighborhood stabilization in low- and moderate-income communities. Since its inception, advocates such as NCRC, have used the CRA to secure trillions of reinvestment dollars for underserved communities.
Click here for a manual on the CRA and here to learn more about the CRA’s widespread benefits.
Community Reinvestment Summits
NCRC hosts community reinvestment summits where stakeholders get together to discuss the most important issues facing their community and how to productively address them through working in coalitions. We have recently convened summits in Oregon, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, and Louisiana.
How can you use the CRA?
NCRC offers crucial support to our members on how to use the CRA. NCRC provides research on bank behavior in your community, strategic consulting on how to approach banks, and other assistance to our members that increases their power to create positive outcomes for the neighborhoods they serve. We have brought hundreds of community groups into community benefits agreements with financial institutions.
Please contact NCRC for more information and to learn about the benefits of NCRC membership.
Policy Work
NCRC also works with legislators and regulators to strengthen the CRA, so that underserved communities have greater access to credit and capital.
Recent news on CRA:
Hospitals Can Partner with Banks Under the Community Reinvestment Act to Create Healthy Communities
Loans and investments made as part of banks’ Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) activities are an important source of funding for hospitals and health systems to address social determinants of health, the physical and social conditions in the environment that influence health. ...
Flawed FDIC Industrial Loan Charter final rule will undermine CRA, allow lenders to evade state consumer protections
This week, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced a final rule on industrial banks and industrial loan companies (ILCs), allowing nonbank parent companies to apply for and receive ILC charters, enabling these lenders to make loans across the country with narrow and insufficient community reinvestment obligations. ...
NCRC statement on OCC’s Proposed CRA Thresholds
Yesterday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) released a proposed rule for establishing the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) evaluation measure thresholds, retail lending distribution test thresholds, and community development minimums under the general performance standards set forth in the agency’s 2020 final rule. ...
Initial NCRC Analysis of OCC Proposal to Establish Thresholds for its New CRA Measures
The OCC has proposed yet another data collection effort to develop thresholds for its flawed 2020 Community Reinvestment Act final rule. This is another tacit admission by the OCC that all along it has lacked the data and factual basis for developing its flawed revisions to CRA examination performance measures. Instead of creating more consistency … Initial NCRC Analysis of OCC Proposal to Establish Thresholds for its New CRA Measures Read More » ...
OCC announces final rule to amend licensing procedures
Monday, the Office of the Comptroller of Currency (OCC) published a final rule amending its licensing and merger procedures that will make it more difficult for community groups to comment on bank merger applications. Jesse Van Tol, CEO of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, made the following statement: “It appears the OCC is doubling down … OCC announces final rule to amend licensing procedures Read More » ...
OCC grants preliminary charter application for Social Finance, Inc., despite opposition
On Tuesday, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) granted a conditional approval to Social Finance, Inc. to create a nationally chartered bank called SoFi Bank despite opposition from national community groups, including the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC). ...
NCRC disappointed by Senate vote against CRA resolution
Today, the Senate failed to pass H.R. Res 90, which would have overturned new rules on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) finalized by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in May. On a party line vote, Senate Democrats voted in support of the resolution that would nullify the OCC’s weakening of CRA rules, while Senate Republicans voted to keep them in place. ...
NCRC Initial Analysis of Federal Reserve’s ANPR on the Community Reinvestment Act: A Step Forward but Needs to be More Rigorous
The Federal Reserve Board has issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) on the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The ANPR proposes to build upon the existing CRA exam structure of separate tests for retail and community development activity. ...
