WBAL TV, December 20, 2021, Residents, Community Groups React To Bank Branch Closing In Brooklyn Brooklyn, in southwest Baltimore, is a neighborhood at a crossroads. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with other issues, have created some inequities. A bank the community relied on has shut its doors. Bank of America told 11 News the impact of […]

Capital & Main, December 20, 2021, Are Nonbank Mortgage Lenders Good for Minority Borrowers? A loan officer at a mortgage company questions a Black loan applicant about household debts, but subsequently invites a less creditworthy white borrower to fill out an application with “no inquiry about credit standing or debts.” He then offers to walk the

The Denver Post, December 19, 2021, “Where we come from is art”: Denver’s gentrifying Northside captured through the lens and poetry of its Latino youth Tim Hernández is a witness to the pain, the promise, the joy, the hope, the struggles of the Northside’s youth. He’s a teacher at North High and a product of

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).