Analyzes patterns of small business lending in the Chicago region. Notes patterns in lending related to geography and race. Highlights importance of branch networks for small business lending and discusses credit card banking.

The most recently available home mortgage data for the Chicago region show that refinancing loans were not uniformly accessible to all residents.  As a result, many borrowers, particularly African-Americans, have not benefited from the refinancing boom of the 1990's.

Describes the benefits of collaboration between CDFIs and mainstream financial institutions; regulatory and legislative opportunities for building and strengthening such partnerships, and an analysis of the types of relationships that have evolved in recent years. Detailed case studies describe how creative partnerships have developed between a variety of CDFIs and conventional lenders.

Lending test under the proposed 1994 CRA rules show that some large Chicago area mortgage companies have poor lending records in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

Katy Jacob, Malcolm Bush, and Daniel Immergluck

This report examines the reality of credit unions' claim that they honor the mission stated in the Federal Credit Union Act to meet the savings and credit needs of "persons of modest means." The report also discusses why it is so important that credit unions fulfill this statutory responsibility and how they might do so more effectively in the future.

Describes the double bottom line of socially responsible investment policies which includes a favorable rate of return and an investment vehicle that meets certain socially responible criteria.  Contains interviews with staff of Shorebank and the Calvert Fund.

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.

This alert examines two proposed changes to the regulation of the Community Reinvestment Act:  A regulation calling for the collection and disclosure of small business loan application and origination data for banks and savings and loans by census tract. Second, a proposal calling for the use of some objective measures as key indicators of a bank's responsiveness to credit and capital needs. Woodstock Institute found that on both these central changes, the revised proposal is a substantial retreat from earlier progress.