The Community Reinvestment Act has brought solid benefits to a critical part of the Chicago economy -- the multifamily housing market. Good quality rental housing is essential to the well-being of low- and moderate-income families in Chicago, and is a sign of neighborhood stability particularly in neighborhoods where a high percentage of the housing stock is multifamily.

Explains the importance of small business development to modest-income urban neighborhoods, including discussions of access-to-credit problems and the role of CRA and economic development finance in these markets. Provides a framework for developing strategies for addressing small business financing needs in targeted markets.

Profiles model small business lending programs around the country that target modest-income communities. Examples include bank-community partnerships, specialized bank units, multibank efforts, government-administered programs, and CDFIs. The report also offers lessons for effectively reaching underserved markets.

(A Project by the Credit Union Foundation, Inc.) Documentation of the Vermont Development Credit Union's Affordable Mortgage Lending Program, a unique program which combines home purchase counseling with non-mortgage loan products to assist potential homebuyers become ready for a mortgage. The program can serve as a model for other lenders interested in affordable homeownership for lower-income families.

An analysis comparing the residents of a modest-income urban neighborhood to jobs in and around the neighborhood, utilizing specialized census data showing how many residents work in and around the neighborhood. The study provides evidence supporting the importance to local residents of economic activity in city neighborhoods.

Finds that lending for home purchases throughout the Chicago area has increased dramatically in recent years, with loan volume up by 50 percent from 1990 to 1994. Loans to low- and moderate-income individuals increased at even higher rates than overall loans, increasingby 85 percent over the same period.

Analyzes job patterns in the Chicago Empowerment Zone (EZ), examining demographics of those who work in the EZ, the number of EZ jobs held by EZ residents, and the work locations of EZ residents. The report provides examples of efforts in Chicago and around the country aimed at linking neighborhood residents to nearby jobs and calls for increased attention to the barriers between jobs and residents in low-income urban areas.

This study finds that minorities and lower-income people who use these "fringe banks" pay higher prices for basic financial services. In addition to demonstrating the high costs charged by CEs, this Alert makes recommendations aimed at encouraging greater use of banks by these CE users, at reducing excessive fees charged by CEs, and at increasing consumer awareness of the relative costs of financial services.

This report analyzes data on 504 lending for the entire nation and for the Chicago metropolitan area to discern whether this SBA program is serving sound economic development purposes.