You’ve probably heard the term before: community development loan mining. Ugh. What a chore. But as a CRA Officer or CRA Analyst, it’s your job to identify all CRA-eligible loans originated by your bank. But that doesn’t m...
Continue ReadingTraditionally, preparing for a CRA exam has been a long, frustrating process. There’s so much to do, and CRA Officers often don’t have the support they need to do it all. Instead of spending week upon endless week preparing for your...
Continue Reading(Don't forget to download the free PDF, "26 Questions to Ask Yourself When Building Your CRA Plan for the New Year." This list of questions will help you think about your CRA program and build the perfect plan to promote your progra...
Continue ReadingAre you preparing for your next CRA exam? If you are, or you will be soon, you’d probably love to get the inside scoop on how an examiner thinks about an exam. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could sit down with a CRA examiner and pic...
Continue ReadingAt 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 ReadingThe ideas in this article came from a webinar with Sarah Baharin, VP, Fair Lending/CRA Officer at North American Savings Bank, and Zina Stankewsky at PCs for People. You can access the webinar recording here. Banks and credit uni...
Continue ReadingThe ideas in this article came from our webinar with Janice DeLima from Norway Savings Bank. You can access the webinar recording here. Many banks are happy with a Satisfactory CRA rating. In fact, many banks don’t even try to ge...
Continue ReadingAn estimated 80% of banks underreport their community development loans. This means that 80% of banks are under-representing their CRA lending performance, which puts their CRA ratings at risk. The lending portion of the CRA exa...
Continue ReadingAre you looking for ways to get CRA credit for your financial institution? With so many possible activities and so few details about what counts for CRA credit, it can be difficult to figure out which activities will be the most ben...
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 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 ReadingOne of the most important things your financial institution does is connect with potential customers. Recent research has shown that one of the best ways for a financial institution to connect with potential customers is by building...
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 ReadingStockman Bank of Montana is the largest privately-owned bank in the state. With 36 locations and $4.7 billion in assets, the bank has deep community roots. Ensuring compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is vital to th...
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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