At some point in your journey as a Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) officer, you’ll likely find yourself involved in a community-based public-private partnership economic development project. When this happens, your bank may have th...
Continue ReadingAs a CRA officer, you know how important it is to get consideration under the CRA for as many loans, services, and investments as possible. This means that some banks like to include their consumer loans under their lending performa...
Continue ReadingHow did your last CRA exam go? Did it run perfectly smoothly? Did you hand your CRA examiners your self-assessment, shake hands, and tell them you’ll see them next exam? Probably not. Chances are it was a hectic week of pulling r...
Continue ReadingRunning a CRA program is difficult during the best of times. And when it’s time for a CRA exam, your job only gets more stressful. But when you have a clear picture of what’s expected of you, your exam can be a lot easier. In ...
Continue ReadingYour bank is steadfast in meeting the credit needs of all businesses, both large and small, in your communities. Your job is to capture and identify all eligible community development activities going into a regulatory exam. But wha...
Continue ReadingAll successful programs have support from the top, and CRA isn’t any different! It’s important to keep your bank board and executive management briefed on your CRA program. But how do you do this? According to Eric Rosengren and ...
Continue ReadingAre you ready for your next CRA exam? If you’re like most CRA professionals, preparing for a CRA exam is a never-ending process. One way to make this process a little more manageable is by creating a CRA self-assessment. Most CRA of...
Continue ReadingIf you don’t have a large CRA team, haven’t had much training, or just inherited your bank’s CRA program, you’re probably feeling a little overwhelmed. It’s hard to run a CRA program during the best of times, but it may seem impossi...
Continue ReadingWho exactly is responsible for your bank’s CRA program? If you said “the CRA Officer,” I want to challenge your thinking on that. You should consider your bank’s CRA program to be the responsibility of every employee in your company...
Continue ReadingAre you ready to partner with a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) but aren’t sure where to start? We’ve talked a lot about the value and power of CDFI partnerships, and I know it can be overwhelming to get started. ...
Continue ReadingEver wish you could find a way to multiply your financial institution’s impact on the community and improve your CRA performance? Equity Equivalent Investments might be just what you need! Equity Equivalent Investments, or EQ2s, a...
Continue ReadingFriend! Credit unions can be an essential ally for banks, helping with community development investments and your Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) program. Ready for a radical idea? Invest in a credit union to improve your CRA in...
Continue ReadingYou want me to place a deposit with a “competing” financial institution? No, we are not out of our minds here. Placing deposits, making an investment, or even providing a grant to a Minority Depository Institution (MDI) may count to...
Continue ReadingWant to boost your bank's CDFI partnerships? Download this CDFI partnership implementation checklist. Download Struggling to find ways to bring affordable, flexible capital into your community while creating net income for your ...
Continue ReadingRemember the days when we were volunteering for nonprofit fundraising dinners or waking up early on Saturday morning to participate in a community walk fundraiser? The pandemic has changed many of the ways we volunteer, but the core...
Continue ReadingAre you crystal clear on your bank’s performance? Do key stakeholders know how they fit into the CRA function of the bank? Do you know everything you need to know for your upcoming CRA exam? These are the questions that all CRA Of...
Continue ReadingAre you looking for impactful, CRA-qualified volunteer opportunities during the pandemic? The IRS and local social service nonprofits in your communities are looking for volunteers to support the IRS's Volunteer Income Tax Assis...
Continue ReadingData collection, maintenance, and reporting are important aspects of financial institution evaluations under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Financial institutions collect, maintain, and depending on their size, report key da...
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