Founded in 1973, the Empire Justice Center (EJC) is a legal advocacy nonprofit that fights for social and economic justice for disenfranchised New Yorkers by protecting and expanding their legal rights. Using a multi-pronged approach that focuses on litigation, education and advocacy efforts, EJC has provided services to more than 12 million people across a […]
After years of accelerating bank branch closures that doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s bank branch network appears to be approaching a new historic low despite a slowing rate of closures. The most recent data shows that 584 net branch closures occurred between 2024 and 2025. This is a dramatic slowdown from the 200 net
Bank Branch Closures Slow, But Shifting Demographics Cloud the Picture Read More »
The formal segregation of housing finance imposed by 20th century redlining was officially withdrawn decades ago. Yet, the lines of those old redlining maps remain etched into the landscape of many American cities. Recently, we’ve been told by skeptics, like some academics and banks, that redlining is ancient history. That the federal and banking industry
Historic Redlining’s Effects on Home Mortgages Today Read More »
The nation’s largest crypto firms are looking to consolidate their power to the detriment of their customers and communities already lacking vital consumer protections and economic development opportunities. As more and more digital currency companies are vying for financial legitimacy by becoming a national trust bank via the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Locally-owned small businesses are almost universally admired. Yet, in a banking industry where bigger is seen as better, warm words rarely translate into hard cash. Small businesses have become a viable pathway towards economic mobility for entrepreneurs and the cornerstone of community development revitalization efforts in historically underinvested communities. However, minority-owned businesses have had to
Nestled in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Woodstock Institute has been working to advance economic justice and racial equity within financial systems at the local, state and national levels for over 50 years. The organization was founded in 1973 by Chicago philanthropists Sylvia and Aaron Scheinfeld as the program arm of the couple’s foundation
Investing in underserved communities takes more than a promise – it also takes a plan to keep that promise. The National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) has developed multiple techniques to ensure that bank commitments translate into meaningful change for historically disadvantaged neighborhoods and that the people who live there, and organizations that service them, have
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently announced plans to alter how banks are evaluated under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA), one of the longest-standing laws to prevent redlining. The CRA directs the OCC to regularly analyze the number and quality of a bank’s loans, investments and services to historically underserved borrowers
The OCC’s Debanking Pivot Is Another Veiled Attack on CRA Read More »
Bank lobbyists’s new CRA lawsuit exposes the dishonesty and greed of a relatively small but well-resourced group of banks.
NCRC Statement On Bank Lobbyist Lawsuit To Block Community Reinvestment Act Rules Read More »
Online Event Archive Recorded December 6, 2023 Breaking down the rule and digging into how it will impact the fight for economic justice and racial equity is an ongoing process and you can expect to see more content and conversations from NCRC as we analyze the rule and gather feedback from our members and allies.
Video: CRA Final Rule Deep Dive Read More »
Online Event Archive Recorded November 3, 2023 Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu, Chairman of the FDIC’s Board of Directors Martin Gruenberg and Federal Reserve Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr joined NCRC President and CEO Jesse Van Tol to discuss the new Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) rules. Speakers: Michael Hsu, Acting Comptroller
Video: The New Community Reinvestment Act Rule: What’s In It And What Will It Mean Read More »
In response to the release Tuesday of final interagency regulations overhauling implementation of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) for the first time in 28 years, National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) President and CEO Jesse Van Tol released the following statement: “This update is both long overdue and essential. Marginalized communities still suffer from a variety of
NCRC Statement On Final CRA Rules Release Read More »
A summary and detailed review of data points in the CFPB’s final Section 1071 rule.
Review of Section 1071 Data Points Read More »
Initial Analysis Of Final Section 1071 Small Business Lending Rule April 2023 Download Report Kevin Hill, Senior Policy Advisor KEY TAKEAWAYS: online pharmacy buy singulair online no prescription pharmacy Discrimination in small business lending will be easier to identify and root out. This is an important new rule that applies to the full spectrum of small
Initial Analysis Of Final Section 1071 Small Business Lending Rule Read More »
How And Why CRA Reform Proposals Must Improve Access To Credit And Capital For Small Businesses November 2022 Download Report Josh Silver, Senior Fellow In late spring of 2022, the Federal Reserve Board, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) proposed the most far-reaching changes to
