Discounted Hotel Reservations For The 2024 Just Economy Conference Now Available
By NCRC
Register today for the 2024 Just Economy Conference and save with early bird prices, and then book your discounted hotel rooms and save even more! [Register now]
Special Announcement: Time Magazine Names NCRC's Dedrick Asante-Muhammad Among "The Closers"
By Janell Ross, TIME
A new Time Magazine series recognizing the nation's most significant leaders on closing racial economic divides includes NCRC [that weird long title] Dedrick Asante-Muhammad among "The Closers." You can read the entry about Dedrick's work and thought leadership here. The magazine's broader explanation of the "Closers" list is linked below. [Read more]
News
NCRC And First Financial Bank Announce $2.4 Billion Community Benefits Agreement
By NCRC
NCRC and First Financial Bank have entered into a new $2.4 billion, five-year Community Benefits Agreement, establishing goals for lending and investments to low- and moderate-income clients and census tracts. The new agreement follows the successful conclusion of First Financial’s previous CBA, during which it achieved 192% of its $1.75 billion goal in lending and investments for 2018-2023. [Read more]
NCRC Statement On OCC Overhaul Of Merger Review Process
By NCRC
"I’m glad to see the OCC take steps toward the Biden administration’s broader reconsideration of the government’s vital role in protecting competition. Generations of misguided policy choices have left us with an inappropriately lax approach to merger review, where proposed deals were often cleared as though by default," said NCRC President and CEO Jesse Van Tol. [Read more]
Views
Study Finds Socioeconomic Conditions - Not Genetics Or Lifestyle Choices - Account For Racial Life Expectancy Gap
By Magdalena Mysliwiec and Devin Thompson, NCRC
The difference in rates of premature death between racial groups can be completely explained by socioeconomic factors, a new study from Tulane University found. Researchers found tight connections between early death and material deprivation. Lifespan gaps by race were driven by differences in employment, family income, food insecurity, education, access to healthcare, health insurance, housing instability and relationship status, the study found. [Read More]
Analysis: New CRA Rule's Improvements To Public Engagement Systems Do Not Go Far Enough
By Josh Silver, NCRC
The Community Reinvestment Act’s central goal of remediating economic injustice cannot be effectively achieved without ample and direct input from the people CRA is meant to help. When regulators overhauled CRA rules in 2023, one of the most important pieces of the puzzle was how to improve public engagement with banks and the federal bank agencies to help fulfill the law’s mandate that banks serve community needs. There is no better way for banks to figure out how to serve community needs than consulting the community in a sustained and thorough manner. CRA must establish a regular and thoughtful process for dialogue among the stakeholders. [Read more]
Events
Redlining The Reservation
February 20, 3 to 4 pm ET
Learn how tribal areas have been cut out of the financial system, and what can be done about it in our webinar “Redlining the Reservation” on February 20. Hear how changes in CRA enable CDFIs to better engage in community development, mortgage lending, and small business investment on Native Lands. [Register Here]
Fast Track To Certification
February 26 through March 1, 6 to 9 pm ET
Embark on an exciting journey to conquer the HUD Housing Counseling Exam! Say goodbye to mundane study sessions and hello to a vibrant virtual experience designed to make learning engaging and effective. Join a community of housing counselors for a collaborative exploration of the six core exam topics, where peer discussions and interactive activities will turn your exam preparation into an exhilarating adventure. Don't just study – immerse yourself in a dynamic learning environment that sparks curiosity and fuels success! [Register Here]
In The News
How We Chose The Closers
By Lori Fradkin, Ayesha Javed, and Maya Chung, TIME
“Oftentimes the frame is, ‘Oh, we’re not where we want to be, but we're getting there,’” Dedrick Asante-Muhammad, vice president of racial economic equity, research and workforce development at the National Community Reinvestment Coalition, told TIME. “And for 20 years I have been trying to highlight, ‘No, we aren’t.’” That doesn’t mean, however, this disparity is a foregone conclusion or that people aren’t trying to draw attention to the issue and improve the situation. [Read more]
First Financial Bank To Invest $700 Million By 2028 In Affordable Mortgages
By Flávia Furlan Nunes, HousingWire
Cincinnati-based First Financial Bank has agreed to direct $2.4 billion in the next five years for lending and investments to low- and moderate-income (LMI) clients and census tracts, with 30% of the total tied to mortgage lending. The initiative is part of a community benefits agreement with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), the parties announced Tuesday. [Read more]
On Our Radar
How A Black Miami Neighborhood Became 'Ground Zero For Climate Gentrification'
By Joseph Contreras, The Guardian
Liberty City and, more broadly, climate gentrification are the subjects of a new feature-length documentary, Razing Liberty Square, by the director Katja Esson that airs on PBS on Monday. The film follows community members and housing advocates as they seek to avert mass displacement after developers set their sights on the neighborhood. [Read more]
Milwaukee County Banned Section 8 Housing Voucher Discrimination, But Landlords Still Do It
By Wisconsin Watch, PBS Wisconsin
Milwaukee County in 2018 banned landlords from categorically rejecting recipients of housing assistance. More than five years later the county’s Office of Corporation Counsel, which is supposed to enforce the protections, says it has yet to receive a verified complaint of such discrimination. That’s not for a lack of discrimination, a Wisconsin Watch investigation found. Some landlords continue to explicitly reject Section 8 applicants — even saying so in public listings. Four Section 8 renters told Wisconsin Watch no one informed them about the protections or how to file a complaint. [Read more]
Resources
Work And Meet At The Just Economy Club It's aDC hubfor nonprofits and the social sector, around the corner from the White House. Move your team into a private office or host your meetings and events or hang out in the lounge. [Read more]
Learning & Training Hub Register for NCRC's catalog of professional development courses for community development leaders. [Learn more]
Research And Reports We have an extensive library of research and reports that dates back many years! [View all]
Sign And Share The Just Economy Pledge America should not only promise but deliver to all Americans opportunities to build wealth and live well. Sign and share the pledge to help us expand the movement for a Just Economy. [Sign and Share]
Fair Lending Tool Use our interactive tool to produce a report on mortgages, small business lending and bank branch networks for any city, county or metro area in the nation. [Access the tool here]
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