Uses new CRA data to analyze lending by 50 largest small business lenders in the Chicago area. Ranks lenders by their tendency to lend to lower-income areas and smaller firms in such areas.

Advises community development financial institutions on how they can use CRA to attract more resources from banks and thrifts, thereby building scale and increasing their impact in their communities. Recommends ways CRA can improve regulation of community development lending and investments.

Describes how different parts of the Chicago area fared in different industrial sectors from 1991-1996, and determines whether job sprawl has slowed in the 1990s compared to the 1980s. Examines municipal-level employment changes within the region to identify relationships between suburban income and racial demographics and changes in employment levels. The report also lays out key policy implications, focusing on state and federal government.

Demonstrates how low-income credit unions (LICUs) have become a growing force in the world of financial institutions, using data collected from the National Credit Union Administration for the years 1990-1996. Highlights LICUs' successful financial management and crucial role in community reinvestment while stressing the need for targeted resources for these institutions.

Produced under contract with Bethel New Life, this report describes how Bethel developed programs that reduce lead hazards in homes, educated the public about the dangers of lead poisoning, and trained and employed local residents.

Examines home lending patterns in the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph area. Identifies possible lending disparities and community credit needs. Highlights ways to improve access to affordable mortgage credit for low-and moderate-income community residents, particularly those in Benton Harbor. Includes recommendations for local planning and action.

This report documents the asset development programs of five community development credit unions and illustrates the several diverse strategies to empower lower-income people to develop modest assets.  Case studies include Central Appalachian Peoples FCU, Quitman County FCU, Northeast Community FCU, Progressive Neighborhood FCU, and Zion United Credit Union.

This report analyzes home refinance lending in the Chicago area and documents the extreme segmentation of mortgage markets by race and neighborhood. In the last few years, mortgage lending abuses - often called predatory lending - have become an increasingly critical issue for those working to promote community reinvestment and development.

This analysis concludes that current programs reach a small fraction of the population of lower income people. While the variety of training programs currently offered could be improved in a number of ways, the greater challenge is to figure out how to reach significantly more people with more substantive training.