Today is the day, the clock is ticking, and we’ve got to mobilize everyone we know who cares about the economic health, wealth and justice in America’s communities.
The government published today and opened up for public comments a plan to radically change and diminish the impact of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA).
Let’s make no mistake about it – this plan from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is a far cry from the reform we wanted and that our communities need.
CRA has been an essential tool to ensure banks meet the needs of the communities where they take deposits. It’s still critical for low- and moderate-income borrowers and for the economic vitality of their neighborhoods. But the proposed changes will make it easier for banks to cherry pick where they lend, and where they don’t. That’s something banks did for decades through a system called redlining. We want a system that ensures our families and neighborhoods can move forward, not backward.
To learn all the ways this proposal will harm your community, visit our #TreasureCRA page. And while there, follow our instructions to submit your own comment to let them know that weakening the CRA will not be tolerated.
We need to flood the agencies with our comments. We need your voice and your network.
Not sure what to say? Don’t worry, we got you! We have sample letters to help you craft your masterpiece. Just as long as you send something. Then spread the word. Push this message out through your email lists and social media.
The time to act is now. We only have 60 short days to make an impact and force the OCC and FDIC to trash this NPRM and start over.
The CRA proposal fails in many aspects. CRA was created in an effort to encourage banks and savings associations to help meet the needs or all segments of their communities, including low and moderate income communities and communities of color. Geography must remain the focus of CRA exams for all banks. We want banks to be graded based on every geography where they lend or receive a significant percentage of their deposits. Lending isn’t tied to bank branches the way it used to be. But branches are still essential for low- and moderate- income people. Geography still matters. Neighborhoods still matter. CRA of 1977 matters!