New evidence indicates the largest Chicago area banks have not expanded into lower income and minority markets, despite the substantial purchasing power and concentration of potential deposits available in these communities.

The purpose of this guide is to help community organizations enable their members to join a mainstream credit union and begin building modest assets. Many credit unions offer financial products and services tailored to the needs of low-income people, but mainstream credit unions have not historically reached this population. Partnering with community organizations expands a credit union's membership while giving community organizations the tools to help their members build assets.

Tom Feltner and Malcolm Bush

Summaries of the community reinvestment legislation in the United States, United Kingdom, Nigeria, Brazil, South Africa, India, Australia, and Canada.

Describes changes in the Illinois payday lending industry since 2001 when state rules regulating the industry were approved.

Illustrates the quantitative relationship between the level of subprime lending in a neighborhood and foreclosure levels in a subsequent period, while controlling for changes in economic and demographic characteristics that might also effect foreclosure rates.

This report uses public court files to document the loan terms, conditions, and litigation tactics of one of the largest payday lenders in Illinois. The findings are based on a sample of 444 debt collection cases filed against payday loan customers.

Describes the regulatory and other industry trends that impact the penetration of lower-income markets by credit unions. The report recommends that the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) be amended to include credit unions.

Evaluates a variety of strategies for tackling the shortage of affordable rental housing, particularly as these strategies would impact small "mom and pop" owners of rental housing. Looks at an "average" cash flow statement of a Chicago owner with a 24 unit building to illustrate the impacts.

Since the passage of the Gramm Leach Bliley Financial Modernization Act of 1999 (GLBA), insurance companies, banks, mortgage companies, and securities firms have been allowed to merge with and acquire one another for the first time since the Great Depression. This Alert discusses the community development implications of these changes. It also gives an overview of how insurance companies that have opened bank charters are performing in relation to the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and fair lending.